But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

The best, and most perfect way, to live is free from sin.  This is why God gave His law through Moses, so that we might know life, and fellowship with Him.  The Fall is what happened, and corrupted all of the creation.  The Cross is what enabled us to live free from sin, and the desires of the flesh.

We are told, quite simply, to “put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24).  This, to Paul, was his practical instructions on how to live without sin.

This doesn’t make sense to many modern Christians for one simple reason.  They don’t have a deep, intimate, experiential knowledge of the Holy Spirit.  Oh, we can quote scriptures and understand doctrine, but do we really know Him?  How often do we settle for someone else teaching us, saying, “Know ye the Lord?”, when that is not our covenant  (Jeremiah 31:34)?  That’s right, Yahweh spoke saying, ” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them”, and that he would forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more.

How many have really understood this wonderful person who is Holy Spirit, living within us?  How many crave to understand Jesus through this living being within?

This is the Gospel of the Kingdom.  What starts as a Word, a seed, as a bit of yeast, becomes a great tree within, planted by rivers of living waters, whose leaves do not wither, and brings forth fruit in its season.  Whatever it does, prospers (Psalm 1).

Paul’s instructions for not sinning were simple.  Reckon yourself dead to it.  Live by the Spirit.  Faith and the Spirit.  Simply, “put it off”.

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 12:2).  This is the power of the blood, to liberate the sinner from their bondage, to bring freedom to the captive, and sight to the blind.

His Spirit within us, His life living through us, is the power of His Kingdom flowing through us, enabling us to live, for we are not “mere men”. (1 Corinthians 3:4).

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

When you’re done with sin, God is there, able to make a difference.  Yet, it will only happen through faith and the power of His Spirit.  It is the power of the Word, enabled by His Spirit, that works in us, creating a change from the inside.  We do not need to put up with sin, or live with it.  Though we may sin from time to time, and we have an intercessor, namely Christ, the life of the Christian is from faith to faith, and glory to glory.

Yet, it is ironic, that the one thing that would actually help is one of the strongest strongholds in the modern church today, including the Spirit-filled denominations.  We are told the lie, “Don’t be so heavenly minded you’re no Earthly good.”, and to “use wisdom”, and, occasionally, “don’t be over righteous”.  Yet, Jesus counselled people to cut off their hand or gouge out their eye if it cause offense.  Paul wrote that the mind set on the flesh was death, and the mind set on the Spirit was life and peace (Romans 8:6).  Jesus said to hate your life and to sell all to possess this treasure.

If you want to progress rapidly, grasp the steps…  You were a sinner, and you now have a new heart;  your sin nature is removed.  If you do sin, you have an advocate, but those born of God do not continue in sin, and cannot.  You are free from the condemnation and the shame the enemy tries to put on you.  You are loved.  As you come into that, you will find yourself coming into fearlessness.  From here, staying out of pride, realizing you have no good thing in and of yourself, you can do nothing short of surrender to the Master, to live by and through Him.  Without Him, you can do nothing; grasp “nothing”–when you understand what “nothing” means, and that is what you can do without Him, it leaves one choice.  Know that your sins, past, present, future, are all removed, and that only one thing remains.  Complete, ardent, and permanent surrender to the will of another, mind, body, soul, will, strength, all in love to the one greater than you.

Christian maturity, it has been said, is a growing sense of your own sinfulness coupled with, at the same time, a greater and greater revelation of Christ’s work of atonement and salvation on your behalf.  Without either, you are lopsided, but with them both, you see correctly.

If you’re a Christian and want to leave every trace of sin behind (whether or not this is fully attained in this life is NOT the point, but the pure in heart see God.  If it isn’t in your heart, then you have other issues), then consider this.  He who does truth comes into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he has done has been done through God (John 3:21, paraphrase).  What parts of your heart do you want to keep hidden?  Why?  What is the deeper feeling in your heart?  What are the thoughts down deep?  Where does shame have a place?  Where is anger running?  Why are you anxious?  Why are you afraid?  And, when it begins to get there, who do you still need to forgive and what wounds and pain do you need to let go of?

It’s all right there, right in your own heart, just like Jesus said it would be.   For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.” (Matthew 15:19-20).  It is your own heart.

Christianity is not about sin avoidance.  If it were simply that, we could live by the law.  But, we are to live by the Spirit.  What is it that takes you out of the Spirit?  What is it that this wonderful person of God wants within your own heart, within you, so that He may be free to dwell, be, and possess you as He ought?

The light and easy yoke of the Gospels is to bring every part of your heart into the light, dealt with by the Spirit of truth and the light of the cross.  The very parts we keep hidden, the weight and pressures of this world and the demonic will press in after those, as rats after garbage.  Although you can keep them out to a point, for a while, the weight and pressures and constant maintenance of this effort will ultimately break you, if you continue to climb after God.

The right way, is in true humility and grace, bring forth your deepest, darkest, most reprehensible parts, bring them and hate them in the true light of what they are.  In the light of truth, to receive ultimate forgiveness, so that you cannot be scared back into hiding.  As the places of darkness are removed, and you are fully in the light, you will find the pressures simply disappear.  It is not in the interest of the Kingdom of darkness to continue trying indefinately when there is nothing in you.  They will still try, but the constant day-to-day pressures will disappear simply because there is nothing in you that would cause you to want evil.  Even the devil left Jesus after the temptation in the wilderness to wait for “until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).

The verdict of Jesus is that men loved darkness rather than the light (John 3:19).  The pressure and stress of the Christian life is real, but can largely removed or at least minimized, simply by allowing the places of darkness within your own heart to be confronted and removed.

Why do things not go when they are told commanded to do so by the name of Jesus?  Sometimes, it’s as simple as, like previously said, rats to garbage.  Get rid of the garbage, and the rats will simply go elsewhere.

It is often our own hearts that attract the junk, rather than something external.  While the enemy will come anyway, as it did for Jesus at the crucifixion, you will be able to stand then, because you didn’t use your strength today to simply avoid sin.

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

You will find no life sweeter, no life better, no life more sacred than dwelling in the vine, abiding in the Holy.  He is the wonderful, and the simplifier of creation.