Prevention is the key! You have probably heard this saying many times when it comes to certain health issues or conditions. Use sunscreen to prevent sun burn. Don’t smoke to prevent damage to your lungs. Wear your seat belt when traveling in a car to prevent serious injuries if in an accident. Prevention is the key!
Prevention is also the key when it comes to sin. Sin a problem for every human. Sin affects all our lives. We must focus on the prevention of sin in our lives. Prevention of sin is a key to being a faithful Christian. We can not continue to live in sin after obeying the Gospel. The act of repentance is turning away from sin or making that change in our lives. To turn away from the sins that we were once enslaved to and turn to a righteous path that leads us towards Heaven.
The prevention of sin begins with our new birth. That second birth that Jesus speaks of in John 3. Jesus says only those that have been born of water and the Spirt will enter the kingdom of Heaven. This is our obedience to the Gospel. Once we have obeyed the Gospel and have been added to the the body of Christ, sin should no longer control our lives or be a habit!
The prevention of sin is also accomplished through our abiding in Christ. Once we have obeyed God’s commands by putting Christ on in baptism, we are “in Christ.” We are committed to abide in Christ for the remainder of our lives. This is a total commitment of our life. We are choosing to follow Him over sin. Turning away from the world and following God.
The prevention of sin is maintained when God’s word abides in us. 1 John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. God’s word must be in our hearts and on our minds. His word must remain in our daily lives. It must show through in our attitudes, activities, behaviors, and words. If I were to ask your friend what is the thing you most speak of, what would their answer be? Politics, sports, job, weather, or would it be God and His word? God’s word must be engrained throughout our lives.
The prevention of sin is also achieved through our humble obedience to God’s commands. We must remember that God’s commands and His word are not burdensome. We often think of the Bible as restrictions or limitations. But we should be looking at God’s words as instructions, guidelines, or the playbook to our lives. We must obey. When we are in obedience to God, we receive many blessings from Him.
Prevention is the key! How are you preventing sin from being in your life today?
