When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose again, He forever broke the power of sin over the believer. It means that every believer has the power through Christ to resist sin. The excuse “The Devil made me do it” can never truthfully be used again.

It also means that no sin can ever condemn you to Hell again – because Jesus paid for all your sin. His mercy and goodness, however, do not offer an excuse to sin, neither will He overlook it.

In the above verse, Paul points out that the believer is free from the law – but only in the sense that it can never condemn them again. But Paul, out of thankfulness to God, and realizing all the blessings that God wants to show him (and all believers today), says that he will not permit himself to become a servant of sin again.

It does not mean that he would never sin again, but that he chooses to not let sin of any kind rob him of the sweet fellowship with Christ that he so much enjoys. He also does not want to hurt the Savior that forgave him and called him to serve Him.

Christians today need to take the same attitude. If you are not free to serve God, and able, you are not free. Paul said this about the Roman believers, in Romans 6:17: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.”

Do you love the Lord that much, that you do not want to be under the power of any sin again? Are you still a servant (frequently commit the same one) of some sin? Do you really want victory over it?

This verse demonstrates the ability of the Word to give victory over sin. The words “none of his steps shall slide” refers to its power to keep you close to God and away from the world.

There is always a danger of going back to the world: it offers many attractions, false promises, and empty satisfaction. All of which can never satisfy the soul of those who know God through Jesus Christ. Jesus warned, in Matthew 24:12: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” This coldness of heart toward God, the Word, and the local church, are what the Word can keep you from.

For the believer, victory is always a choice. God will never force you to have it. The Holy Spirit dwelling inside is there to help you want to get that victory, but you must stay focused on the Word and its principles for life.

Notice that the Word must be in your heart. The heart is the place where your true emotions, motives, drives, etc., reside. You need to let the Word influence your heart and be willing to follow it – with God’s help. When the Word indicates a change in direction and activity is needed – you heed it.

One of the best ways to put the Word of God in your heart is to memorize various verses – especially those that promise victory. Then, deliberately run them through your mind during the day as reminders of His will and power.

In the last blog post, it was mentioned that believers in Christ are engaged in a war. It is not a war with physical weapons, but one of the heart and mind.

Satan and his hordes constantly seek to weaken the impact that Christians have in their lives and in the world. There are many ways he tries to do this.

Christians can become so busy with daily activities that they forget about “seeking first the kingdom of God.” The same activities can cause believers to cease being “sober” or “vigilant.”

At the same time, they can forget that Satan is seeking to “devour” you. All he wants to do is to make you ineffective in the kingdom of God and to destroy your joy and testimony. When you lose your focus on the war, you become ineffective and powerless to accomplish anything for God. You have become a casualty in Christian warfare. There is no victory for you.

If you are reading this and believe that you have become a powerless casualty, you can be restored quickly and made useful again to God in this spiritual war. Simply confess the sin to God, ask His forgiveness and He will give it. Then, start doing what you know He wants you to do as given in the Bible and ask for His help to do it. Victory in Jesus is still available to those who want it.

David knew very well what lay within his heart. The inclinations he faced – as well as every other human – was not good and always tend to lead away from God when followed.

Because he knew that it was possible that those inclinations and temptations would lead away from God, he asked God to help him get victory over “any iniquity.” He did not want any sin to dwell in his heart.

Beyond seeking to get victory over sin, David desired to live the way God wanted. This is much more than merely keeping commandments and not doing certain things.

It would involve fellowship with God. Religion is not enough, not only will it not save the soul, but it also cannot enable one to please God.

God wants personal fellowship with you. This was God’s purpose in creating man in the first place. Unfortunately, so many professing Christians are satisfied with mere duty and gaining Bible knowledge than fellowship, All are important.

Close fellowship with our Lord also provides both the desire to serve God and the power to do so. Time spent in the Bible, along with prayer and praise are not an option for strong believers.

Can you with David pray the prayer in the text verse: “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.“

The Bible is the source of truth for every Christian. It repeatedly speaks of Christ’s resurrection from the dead and then declares that He gave them many “infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) of His resurrection during the next forty days.

Everything the Christian believes depends on the fact of the resurrection. The Bible records it accurately in each of the Gospels, with each one bearing slightly different testimony as each witness saw it. Identical accounts would point to collusion.

The text verse for today says the Bible can be believed. You trusted it for your salvation – now trust it to guide your life. The promises are yours to claim – once it is seen who they are for and any conditions that might apply. They are all there to enable believers to trust Him and to get victory.

God is looking for overcomers with His help. With God’s armor and the promises, you can do His will and run your course. Remember His promise: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Before uttering these words, Jesus had once again told His disciples that He would first suffer and then be leaving them soon. Although they were saddened by the news, they did not understand it.

In the same way, we also are sometimes saddened by news and events that occur in our lives. It could be the death of a loved one, news of cancer or some other disease, world news, etc., but the truth is that Jesus’ reply to their sadness still can help today.

He told them the things in this verse so that even when they do face tribulation or persecution, or possibly even death, that they can still have inner peace in the face of it. Even more than that, He told them that it is possible you could also “be of good cheer” in those times.

In other words, you do not need to be defeated by events or circumstances, even though there may be anguish and pain involved. God wants His born-again children to be overcomers, and He gives them the grace and power to do so. Faith in His promises enables victory.

Are you utilizing His grace and power now so that – at the end of the day – you are an overcomer? If you need to, why not admit your weakness and ask Him for help right now?