How many of us have lived in un-repented sin or ignored a conviction? I will be the first one to raise my hand. Throughout my journey with God, there have been times in my life where I knew I was doing something wrong, but kept doing it and worse, have been convicted about something, but ignored it. One of the instances is getting off of coffee for example. A long time ago, God spoke clearly to me and told me to quit coffee, and I “needed” it (or so I thought) so badly, that I ignored it for a while. Ignoring this conviction led to a lot of shame, and then feeling like I couldn’t talk to God, nor read the bible, which of course severs relationship and then causes many other issues. There are many other times, but I only give an example because I think anyone can fill in the blank here. It could be pornography, pride, complacency, un-forgiveness, etc. How often is is that we know we are in sin, but we love it to much to turn? It’s like with the coffee thing, I loved it more then obedience to God in that area. I had too much pride to just give it up and trust God. Another example was when I dated an unbeliever back in college when was newly saved, I knew the whole time it was wrong because the man I was with was certainly not bringing me any closer to God, and I thought maybe one day he would change. I backslid, or had a seared conscious for a whole year during that time, and it prevented me from experiencing life and life to the full for sure.

We directly, or indirectly build up walls (or sin) between us and God, and He requires obedience and surrender.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8: 5-8)

I love Romans because it is not only challenging and black and white, but it hits our soul to the core and speaks direct truth! We can live in the spirit and flesh together, it’s not a little flesh and a little spirit, it doesn’t work like that. The scripture says the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. We can not one day live in the flesh, and then the other Spirit. The enemy would love to have us be “stuck” in a sin or a few and then in turn have a seared conscious, which can just lead to other sins and then just a downward spiral. He loves for us to be in chains and not be in the freedom that Christ died for. When I finally broke up with that boyfriend or gave up coffee, the walls came down and I was able to be back in fellowship and freedom with Jesus. I was able to graduate from a caterpillar into the next stage be in the transformation process not stuck. Take the time to search your heart and see if there is any un-repented sin or ignored conviction in your life and see what God does when you take that step to change.

Jesus paid the price for our freedom, let’s turn away, repent and live that life He has for us, of life and not death, a life of freedom and not bondage and a life of being surrendered and not surrendered. Like my last blog, we need to be malleable like clay, so that the Potter can use us!