Pastor Greg Laurie Tells Christians to Stop "Living in World of Sin"

Christians must turn away from their sinful habits and fully commit themselves to Jesus in order to live a happy life, Pastor Greg Laurie said in a message this week, citing Joshua 24.

Laurie, who heads Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, encourages Christians to “make a choice” to stop their sinful ways and fully live in the house of the Lord.

The megachurch pastor suggests that those who identify as Christians but maintain their sinful habits must feel as though they are “[living] in two worlds.”

Laurie goes on to say that living in two worlds must cause unhappiness, as a Christian would never feel fully present in the Christian community with the burden of their sin, nor would they feel completely guilt-free in their sinful ways due to the reminder of their religious beliefs.

In the end, Laurie suggests that for Christians to fully “serve the Lord,” as referenced in Joshua 24:15, they must stop living in two worlds and “make a complete commitment to Jesus.”

“I’m not saying it is easy. We all get tempted. We all have a sinful nature. And as Christians we all have a God who will give us the strength to do what He has called us to do,” Laurie writes, adding that “God will give you the strength to do what you need to do.”

“Don’t live in two worlds. Make a complete commitment to Jesus,” Laurie adds.

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, shared a similar sentiment in his blog post on Wednesday, calling on Christians to develop their faith through the themes of “grow, sow and go.”

Warren encourages Christians to grow in their faith, be generous in sharing their faith with others, and trusting God’s plan for their lives.

When calling on Christians to “go in their faith,” Warren uses the example Abraham in Bible, who was called by God to embark on a mission later in his life.

“Abraham was up in years. He was in his retirement phase, just about to hang it up and settle down when God said, ‘No. Dust yourself off, and get ready for the greatest journey of your life.’ When you live by faith, it involves going, often to places you were never planning to go,” Warren writes.

 

-christianpost

Pastor Greg Laurie Tells Christians to Stop "Living in World of Sin"

The Power To Sin No More - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1, NAS

 

TODAY, I WANT to talk about how you can have a victorious thought life. My friend, the solution to temptations, sinful desires and thoughts is found in the very first verse of Romans 8: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (By the way, some Bible translations, like the New King James Version, go on to say “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

This was added by the later Bible translators. In the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament available today, the Greek simply states, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”)

You now have the power of Christ to rise above your temptation and to rest in your righteous identity in Christ apart from your works.

You may experience temptations and sinful thoughts from time to time, but right in the midst of that temptation, you need to know this: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Notice that this verse is in the present tense. Right now, even if at this very moment, sinful thoughts are going through your mind, there is no condemnation because you are IN CHRIST JESUS! Are we then to sit still and entertain those sinful thoughts? Of course not.

Sin cannot take root in a person who is full of the consciousness that he is righteous in Christ. You cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can certainly stop a bird from building a nest on your head. In the same way, you cannot stop temptations, sinful thoughts and desires from passing through your mind, but you can certainly stop yourself from acting on these temptations, sinful thoughts and desires. How? By confessing at the very moment of temptation that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

The power of Jesus to overcome every temptation kicks in when you remain conscious that even at the point of temptation, Jesus is still with you and that you are righteous in Him apart from your works (Romans 4:6)! When you do that, you reject the condemnation for the temptation that you faced. You now have the power of Christ to rise above your temptation and to rest in your righteous identity in Christ apart from your works. That, beloved, is the overcoming life in Christ!

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that because I am in Christ Jesus, I have the overcoming life. I also have Your unmerited favor because I am righteous in Christ, who is always with me. It is Your goodness and grace that will help me triumph over every challenge today.

 

Today’s Thought

I choose not to be sin-conscious, but conscious of the fact that I am righteous in Christ.

 

-100 Days of favor

The Power To Sin No More - Joseph Prince