The sense of destiny God has placed in our life can easily be misread. Pride rooted in self-will can lead us to think that we must be set apart for some highly esteemed task. But God may have something entirely different in mind. Without question, God wants us to start at the bottom and work our way up, rather than the other way around. Jesus said: “He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much” Luke 16:10.

There isn’t a job in God’s kingdom that He doesn’t consider really important. What you might think of as insignificant may actually be your calling in Christ. What’s important is being faithful in whatever He gives you to do. Your obedience will earn you a reward equal to anything the more highly acclaimed might receive. God plays no favorites! Whatever stands the test of eternity is what will be rewarded.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

We must aim at two critical targets in our lives as believers: We need to serve God, and at the same time pursue personal transformation. Both must be in play if we are ever to be effective. Jesus Himself is the prime example of self-sacrificing service to others: “I did not come to be served, but to serve, and give my life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:28.

We must recognize that serving God always includes serving others. It’s vital to the process of personal transformation. Why is serving others such an indispensable source of change in our character? For at least two reasons. First, extending a hand both benefits them and helps us, since it steers us away from the self-centeredness of our nature. Second, it provides a conduit for the flow of spiritual gifts in our life. Both are tremendous motivators for our own spiritual growth.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

God has set us free from the power of sin by causing us to die to law. His purpose is to make us alive to Him in spite of our weaknesses. Only through His provision could such intimacy ever be possible. The Christian life is so much more than being content with our initial salvation experience. God never intended for us to settle for a life of mediocrity. “I’m just not able to overcome the weakness of my flesh,” is no excuse!

In Christ, God has lifted us out of the pit of human frailty and set us in a place of unbelievable exaltation. The stage for such a powerful relationship couldn’t have been set in any other way. Have you given up because of your failures? Have you settled for the mundane? Don’t give up! Seek God with aggressive and persistent determination. He has something wonderful in store for you.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

If you could see your life from the perspective of eternity—the beginning, middle and end all at once—what do you think would be the most important part? Would it be a past achievement? Or might some future event carry the most weight.

Actually, it’s what we do right now that’s most important! Why? Because now we have the chance to pursue God with all our heart. Now there’s opportunity to prepare for all He has planned for us. Scripture says we’ve been “created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand.” (Ephesians 2:10) This brings whole new meaning to life!

God transcends time, and the now of God allows us to join with Him in all He has for us. So, forget the triumphs and failures of the past. And rise above any fear of the future. It will help you reach forward in hope to what lies ahead.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Do you ever feel like your path is blocked by a whole mountain range of challenges? When confronted by a trial, we immediately wonder how to get around it. Skirting the issue just seems a whole lot easier, since working through the problem appears to be impossible.

But what if engineers planned our roads around the far ends of the mountains, instead of investing the effort and resources needed to build them right through the middle? We would clearly be faced with hundreds of extra miles each time we made a trip, wasting precious time and expense. When we’re faced with suffering, the same question arises: how to get from here to there, not only now but also each time in the future. Will we skirt the difficulty time and again, or cut a pathway right through the heart of the problem? Will we let God build the character we need to succeed?

 From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death,” Paul tells us in Romans 8:1-4. It’s a spiritual law. We are no longer found guilty for sin. Jesus took that role upon Himself, making sin itself the culprit worthy of condemnation. When we were steeped in sin, we freely received God’s gift of grace.

Now that we are saved, we need not try to appease Him by attempting to keep the law, but to daily walk in the grace He has so abundantly provided. Colossians 2:6 says: “As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” We need to start behaving like dead men—dead to law, that is, and as a result, dead to sin. Our life as believers is all about faith in what Jesus has done, regardless of the weakness of our flesh.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

We talk about the need for a personal devotional life. Interaction is what’s important. Both prayer and time in God’s word are most effective when it’s a two-way street. We must listen as well as speak. Only then do our devotions become the cornerstone for vibrant spiritual growth. God still speaks to His people, and learning to walk in intimacy with Him as a daily discipline increases the likelihood of hearing His voice.

Our life is never the same once we’ve heard God speak, especially when He does so in a way that addresses our personal circumstances. It changes us like nothing else can. And what’s great is that God wants to speak to us time and again as a natural part of a life built on closeness with Him. Have you sensed God speaking to you? If not, set yourself squarely in His path. You’ll hear Him!

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Can we benefit from our failures? Sure! Disgust over failure helps prod us toward the goal of resisting sin. Obviously we’ll never be sinless, but that mustn’t keep us from fleeing from temptation. God is here to help, and things will get better each time you make the right choice. You must never allow sin to become an excuse for retreating from God. Let your sin drive you to Jesus rather than away from Him. Run to Him with it!

God knows and understands you. And He’s more than willing to work with a repentant heart. Satan leads you to believe that you can’t come back to God until you’ve cleaned up your act. But the cross has stripped him of any power to separate you from God. So you must never allow him to fool you into thinking that sin somehow puts up a barrier between you and Jesus.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Something totally different makes us tick now that we are God’s children. Having become alive to God, we are now actually driven to serve Him—we have become “slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). “The law of sin,” on the other hand, also remains an active force in our nature. This is why Paul calls himself a “wretched man,” needing to be “set free from the body of this death.” (Romans 7:24).

But this isn’t a recipe for failure. Rather, it’s the foundation for victory, because now we’ve been given the ability to choose good through the power of the Spirit. So even though in my flesh I am doomed to serve the law of sin, my inner man is more than capable of serving the law of God. Paul says it well: “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness” (Romans 8:10).

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself