Walking with the Wise #83: In Need of Deliverance

“The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.”
—Proverbs 11:6

None of us is born righteous—we are born sinners (Psalm 51:5). The inclinations of our heart are evil all the time, but it was not until the Spirit of God came in, appropriating God’s grace through our faith, that we could start saying “no” to sin. But it takes time. And for many of us, it takes a long time to find victory. And victory only comes through applying the truth of the Word of God to our lives.

Positionally, the moment we accept Christ we are made righteous in the sight of God. However, as we grow in grace, we progressively become righteous. It is through this progression in righteousness that we become upright and forsake the sins that have chained us for so long. And for those who are progressively pursuing Christ, they will soon find that they are delivered from many of the devil’s schemes. They are delivered because they have learned to identify the devil’s lies and have learned how to apply the Word to defend themselves, but this is not so with the wicked.

The wicked do not forsake sin; instead they continually indulge in it, feeding it over and over again, seeking satisfaction in their sin but finding none. The more they sin, the more they want to sin—they can never have enough, nor can they fill the large void in their heart.

The only cure for our sin is the cross of Christ. Jesus freed us from sin, and if He freed us from it, then we can’t keep going back and doing it over and over again. As Paul wrote,  

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”—Romans 6:1-2.

If you are living in sin and want to be free, then run to the cross! Don’t wait! Do it now! Jesus is the only one who can free and forgive you, giving you hope and a purpose in the process. He is the only one through whom we can find lasting satisfaction. He is the Savior of the world and only in Him is true and lasting hope.

May God enable us to freely follow Him, basking in the grace made available through the cross, for the honor and glory of His name. Amen.