With all this talk of draining the swamp in Washington, and purging out political corruption, we need to look at the root of the problem. The issue isn’t that there is corruption in government, that is only the symptom. The issue is that there is sin in our hearts. We as a nation have drifted far from God. We allow, and even celebrate, the murder of the unborn. Greedy spoiled brats want the government to give them everything they want. Transgenderism is praised as ‘normal’. Our national sins have come up before God. We desperately need revival. If we don’t turn back to Him soon, what is to stop His judgment? We must personally turn back to God. Personal sins become national sins when enough of the population are engaged in them. Sin has consequences:
For the wages of sin is death… Romans 6:23a
However, God offers us his forgiveness and gift of eternal life though His Son, Jesus Christ, as we are informed by the rest of this verse:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
If you have not accepted God’s free gift of eternal life, you will be powerless to overcome your sin. Once you have received God’s gift of salvation, you will then have the power through His Holy Spirit to overcome sin. However, many of us Christians do not see the need to combat their sin. We are happy to live in it. We have our pet sins that we keep around and hope no one finds out. But God knows. And He isn’t pleased.
Romans 6:1 – 4
1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
After we are saved, we should be walking in newness of life. Not in our old, sinful ways, but in the path of righteousness. We are dead to sin; why to we try to resurrect it?
Romans 6:5 – 7
5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7. For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Imagine a slave, being made free from his cruel master, rejoicing in his new found freedom. yet. However, he occasionally returns to serve his old master. Why would he do that? Likewise, God bought us out of slavery to sin through Jesus Christ, but yet we want to return to serve sin? Yet we refuse to serve Him that freed us? These things should not be so.
Romans 6:8 – 23
8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
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.
18. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
How do we expect to see America turned around without a repentance of sins? How do we, as Christians, expect to see revival, with sin hidden in our hearts? We make ourselves part of the problem, when we should be part of the solution. We need to stop trying to hide our sin. God isn’t fooled. And he won’t hear our prayers:
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Psalms 66:18
Instead of trying to hide it, we need to ask God to reveal it to us, so that we may repent and be made right with Him. We need to allow Him to cleanse us of it. Only then will our prayers for revival be heard. We need to allow God to search out and drain the swamps of our hearts.
Psalms 139:23, 24
23. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
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