One rainy winter day, I noticed how dusty our houseplant was. So I set it outside to rinse it off a little. Not a bad idea—except that I forgot about bringing it in. The next morning, I was horrified to see the poor thing had lost all its leaves. Sheepishly, I put it right back in its favorite corner. Later, I was overjoyed to see hundreds of tiny shoots reappearing on its barren branches.

Right then, God spoke clearly to my heart: “This is what I’m doing to you!” I’d been going through some difficulties, so I immediately understood what God was saying. He’d been exposing me to extreme circumstances, using suffering so that fresh life could sprout. That lesson taught me to embrace trials whenever they come my way. They’re there for my good—to transform my character. For God, suffering is a much lesser evil than a mediocre heart.

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

God wants you! And He wants you to want Him. He desires the kind of relationship rooted in our need to be with Him. Can we survive spiritually in a halfhearted relationship with God? Sure we can. But merely going through the motions doesn’t carry a whole lot of weight with Him. Nobody likes indifference! What we do for God is important, certainly. But if our efforts are not coupled with intimacy, they have little value.

How can we alter our tendency toward doing stuff, as opposed to being what God wants? First recognize it as a problem. Ask God to change the motivation of your heart. He’ll answer that prayer! Then practice it! Few things succeed in life without a lot of practice. Granted, employing this discipline doesn’t come easily. What’s encouraging, though, is that reaching toward greater intimacy with God just naturally increases our appetite for it.

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

Deciding whether or not to pursue intimacy with God has its rewards—and its consequences. Ask any parent. Ask them what they value most: an adult child who desires to be close for the sake of relationship itself, or one who relates to them either from obligation or from selfishness, motivated by the fear of losing some future benefit. They’ll tell you! Parents love both children the same. But which do you think will receive more of their affection? Which deserves their undivided companionship and support?

God is like that. How could He be pleased with those who pursue Him merely from self-interest or a sense of obligation? God sees it the same way we do. Though He doesn’t reject His children when they don’t show much interest in Him, just imagine how thrilled He must be with those whose motives are pure—who want Him just because He’s Dad.

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

As we submit our life to God, He has the opportunity to build solid character in us. But this takes time. Don’t be disheartened by your sin as it inevitably comes. Let your failures drive you to God, and He will use them to strengthen your resolve to live for Him. Each time you say no to sin, it makes it a little easier to say no the next time.

It’s like a cup of coffee. If you refill your cup with a shot of espresso each time you drink a little, it keeps getting stronger. But if instead you add some water each time the coffee will become completely diluted. So it is with sin. As we resist sin, we set the stage for future victory. Still, even that in itself is not enough. Sin is primarily a heart issue. Real freedom comes only by pursuing intimacy with Jesus.

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

Toward the end of his life, Paul was imprisoned in Rome. In the midst of this ordeal, he made this remarkable statement: “one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14) “Forgetting what lies behind?” Just think about that!

Imagine the richness he experienced throughout his ministry. Few have ever rivaled such a life. And yet here he was with confident expectation about the future, refusing to place any hope in past victories. Right then and there Paul was determined to reach forward, making a fresh start toward God’s purpose. Why is that so remarkable? Shouldn’t pressing on in such a manner be the goal of every believer? Well, try it—whatever stage of life you’re at. You might be amazed!

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