2 Samuel22:38 "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed."
White as snow. The Lord said He would make me white as snow. My sins forgiven, He will cleanse me, He will make me and mold me into what He wills. But I know there is a process. As I was forgiven of my sins, some of those sins that were deeply ingrained, that it was a constant battle as the enemy threw those temptations, those remembrances of the sin in front of me. It was difficult for me until that day when I saw that I needed to actively pursue those besetting sins, those temptations until I was the victor not the victim.
As long as we just ask forgiveness of our sin, especially those sins that seem to be a part of who we were; you know, the ones you excuse with one reason or another....."it's okay, everyone does it", or "I just can't seem to stop doing this, surely the Lord understands that", and trust me, the enemy will help you with your excuses until it seems like it is just part of your life. Don't fall into that pit...and it is a pit. Notice how, when you continue in a practice that you have asked forgiveness for, asked for help in overcoming, and you proceed anyway....remember how you feel afterwards....dirty, ashamed, just lost. Your habits, your vices, whatever it is, excessive drinking, smoking, lust....and if the Lord tells you to give up that drinking, smoking, lustful thoughts or actions, lying, stealing.....gossiping....(that hurts, doesn't it). But when you know the Lord is leading you to His place, His plans for you, and He, through the Holy Spirit, brings those things to you, He does so, so you can deal with them. The Lord cannot take away your sin until you are ready to give those things up. He will forgive us, but unless we move away from those things, those habits, those sins, we are victimizing ourselves. There will be no victory.
So I had to go after those things. When the Lord would bring them up to me, I did not leave them dormant, I decided to attack those things, to see why I felt I needed that in my life, actively seek the Lord for His help, to call upon the Name of Jesus when those things came against me. There is action on the part of each of us when we are called into the service of the Lord. There is an action that is needed to rid ourselves of sin, so we can be cleansed. We need to desire with all our hearts to be cleansed, to be made white as snow; it only takes place when make the move to be victorious over our sinful nature.
Instead of hiding when those things come into your mind, look them straight on and remind the enemy with his lures that you are not the person you once were, you are a new creation in Jesus. You will not fall back into those traps, you will look at the situation and reason with your mind...."I do not need this, I do not have to accept these things as part of me, I am God's child, a child of the King and He is all I need." Your mind cannot argue with God's Word. Your mind cannot overcome truth with deception.
The process sometimes takes time, but as long as we are giving ourselves, devoting our lives to our Lord, the end result is so worth it all. I did not overcome overnight, but I did overcome. Now each time the enemy throws a word, a picture...whatever he can use to remind me, I lift my hands to Heaven and thank my God that I am victorious, I am cleansed, I AM becoming the person He made me to be. A day by day walk, this path the Lord gives us, but we are not alone, He is always with us; He is always holding our hand, and He gives us the strength and power to become white as snow. 2 Samuel 22:33 "God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect."
10-17-12
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