Ultimately, sin is the rejection of God in our hearts; it’s the denial of His authority over our lives.  This may sound harsh, but we all are sinners.  Sin denies the very nature of God and even though at the time it may be pleasurable or fun, in the long run, it only causes pain and major problems.

Sin affects us on every level.  Emotionally, it brings anger, fear, worry, bitterness, and guilt into our lives.  Morally, it makes us view worthless things as priceless.  In our relationships, it leads to brokenness and pain; while personally it only enslaves us and destroys us from within.  Worst of all, spiritually, it separates us from God.  Once again, this may sound harsh, but the good news is: when we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive and cleanse us.  The closer we draw near to the Lord, the closer He draws near to us.  Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it abundantly and when the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Everybody has the capacity to sin and this chance only increases when we are not in close fellowship with God.  This is one of the many reasons we must live our lives with integrity.  When we do, even when we mess up, we know to confess our sin, learn from our mistake and move on.  One really important component in this process is our total reliance upon God.  Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ,” but what it really means is that apart from Him, I can do nothing.  Getting here is a process; first you must believe this and then over time, your belief will transition into faith and trust.  Another way to look at this is, when we lose our life in Christ, our life becomes eternally valuable.  In Matthew 10:39, we read, “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for my sake will find it.”  I don’t know about you, but when my time here on earth is at an end, I want to be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith, and for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  This means, alive I am Christ’s messenger; dead I am His bounty.  Life versus even more life; I can’t lose!  I encourage you to look at who you are living for and where your priorities lay.  Are they from above and do your actions bring honor and glory to the Father?  If they do, praise God; if they don’t, get right with God today and start really living.