YOU HAVE VICTORY OVER SIN!

Some years ago, I was witnessing to a colleague inside a restaurant. After I shared the gospel with him and asked if he would surrender his life to Christ, he threw a subtle punch at me, “Pastor, have you kissed before?” I said, “Yes, but I would not do it again till I am married.” 

Beloved, every Saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Redemption removed the sting of sin and lifted the burden of shame, guilt, and condemnation. My past has no grip on my soul any longer. Christ dealt it a heavy blow at the cross.

When that sinner at the cross asked Jesus Christ to remember him, I was wondering what Jesus Christ would remember about him if not for his sins and terrible deeds. Maybe, even tell him he will rot in hell. But look at Jesus Christ; He gave him a ticket to heaven. That sinner met grace. The sinner even tried to convince the other thief. He tried winning a soul. What a soul! 

A man in Christ is a new creation, not refurbished or renovated. Your past may be something you are not proud of but that changes in Christ. Apostle Paul described our past this way:

But don’t take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God’s ways had no idea of any of this, didn’t know the first thing about the way God works, and hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God’s covenants and promises in Israel hadn’t a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now, because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.

Ephesians 2:11-13 MSG

A sinner is an outsider to God’s way.

A sinner has no benefit in God’s covenant.

A sinner was without God.

A sinner was without hope. 

Have you seen what the Lord can do with the life of a messed up man- Look at Paul. He was a murderer. Grace made a masterpiece out of a messed-up life. Paul was so confident of what Christ did that he told a church once: 

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

Philippians 3:13 NLT

His past lost his grip on him. His future became an attractive desire in Christ. 

If your past has a grip on you, check your hold on Jesus Christ! A man with Christ cannot be a slave of guilt and shame. 

Remember these lines: 

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ, I’ll stand

I love you! 

Jesus Christ loves you more.

© temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa