Post translated from: Tengo un problema con esto
"I have a problem with X" —a phrase we often hear or even say to ourselves to silence our conscience.
X could be money, lust, alcohol, power... any area where we are weak and frequently fall.
When we say this phrase, it's usually because we've reached a limit. We see an abyss and know that if we take one more step, we might end up destroyed. That's when we say: "I have a problem with this."
The common reaction is to try to avoid those situations, make a plan, and address the issue directly. As if it were a box separate from the rest of our life. Men tend to solve things practically, and we often face sin the same way: in isolation.
But sooner or later we fall again… and then that inner voice returns: "I still have a problem with this."
My friend, you don't have a problem with that. You have a problem with sin.
God makes it clear in Romans 8:13:
“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Maybe you've read this verse many times… but how often have you truly committed to putting to death the deeds of the flesh? And even more importantly: by the Spirit?
The problem isn’t X. The problem is that we’re not truly fighting. We don’t dedicate our life to God in prayer, we don’t seek strength in His Spirit, and we don’t fix our eyes on Jesus.
In the end, it all comes down to love. Do you love Jesus more… or your sin?
That love isn’t emotional or merely sentimental. It’s a decision proven by actions. As 1 John 3:18 says:
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
The closer you get to the light, the more visible the stains become. The same happens with God: the closer you are to Him, the easier it is to love Jesus and hate sin.
Do you actively participate in your community? Do you attend gatherings? Do you congregate?
Something I’ve come to understand is that we need to hear the gospel constantly. Like sheep, we drift, we get lost, we grow stubborn. But He calls us by name. He loves us so much that He gave His life for us. He is the one we must listen to.
So no, you don’t have a problem with X. You have a problem with sin. And if you are a child of God, He will confront you again and again with the old man, so you may face him, hate him, and live the new life that is already yours in Christ.
We don’t need to be transformed over and over. The transformation already happened on the cross. Your old self was nailed there. But there is a remnant in us, and we must put it to death daily.
Out of obligation? To check a box? Out of fear of rejection?
No. It’s out of love. Out of love for the One who, though innocent, bore your sins and mine on a cross. Who, in tears, cried out:
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?
He drank the cup of wrath for us. He endured the most horrific punishment, so that you and I could be reconciled with God.
If we are that deeply loved, let us rise as children, clothe ourselves in the new nature, and confront sin in all its forms. Let’s open all the boxes. Bring them to the light. God will cleanse, strengthen, and give us the courage we need.
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