Our Freedom in Christ
Our Freedom from Sin – Part V

Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:5-10

Key Verse: 1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Living a life that is worthy of Jesus may seem unattainable.

This verse has encouraged me over the years of my spiritual journey because Jesus is with me as a Christ-follower who is free from sin:

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. (Philippians 2:13)

What a powerful promise for believers to claim for their spiritual growth. I love the phrase “For God is working in you”. Never forget that God loves us so much that He never stops working on us.

Earlier in Philippians, the Apostle Paul assures us that God continues His work in us until He finishes on the day that Jesus comes again for us:

…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6).

Philippians 2:13 not only reminds us that God is working in us, but it also gives us details of His work.

First, God’s work is about our desire. God understands that the best way to keep us from sinning every day is to put a desire in us to live worthy of Him.

We normally do whatever we want.

For example, when we do not want to go grocery shopping, we can find excuses to avoid it. On the other side, when we want to do something fun, we somehow find the time for it. How many times have you told someone that you did not have time when the truth was that you did not want to?

God knows that giving us the “want to” is a great way to help us do what He wants.

Second, God’s work in us gives us the power to do what pleases Him. This is the “icing on the cake” in this promise. God supplies the power to accomplish what we could not do on our own.

Ephesians 1:19-20 tells us that the power that God gives us is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Meditate on that fact for a few minutes.

That is a lot of power available to every believer. Yes, of course, we can be free from sin… we have the power of God working in us!

Jesus is the Light of the World, and we can walk in His light. “Light” stands for knowledge. As God sheds light on our actions, we can adjust our patterns of behavior to walk in His light.

To help us in our walk, God gives us the desire and the power to be obedient to Him.

Father, I praise You for Your love for me and for wanting me to grow strong and mature. Thank You for giving me all the help I need. In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.