How long are we going to forget about the authority and power of Christ and insist that even though we have received Jesus we can be compelled to sin against our will? We are mistaken in this.

The biggest factor in your being able to lead a totally victorious life is not whether God is willing for you to do so. The biggest factor is your willingness to believe in the power and faithfulness of God. If you do not become a victorious saint it is because you have chosen your sin over God's will and power.

Any one of us can be an overcomer. Christ stands ready to help us. It is entirely our decision.

Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. (Deuteronomy 7:20—NIV)

There are areas of darkness and death in our personality that hide from us. God has His ways of bringing them out so we can identify them and renounce them. To man has been given the authority of Divine judgment. Therefore it is of the greatest importance that when we become aware of a problem in our life we name it and pronounce it worthy of the Lake of Fire.

As long as we are gentle and kindly toward the sin in our life it will remain, even though once in a while we are heard to say we are sorry that we have done this or the other. Getting rid of sin requires determined war against the enemy. There never is a letup.

The warfare will continue when the Lord returns, although at that time it will be war against the sin in the world rather than in our own personality.

The important lesson we are to learn in this life is that sin is to be utterly destroyed from the creation of God. This attitude is to be instilled in us to such a degree it will remain with us for eternity. If we have willingly adopted this attitude, then, when we die, the Lord will take care of whatever sin remains in us. The Lord's purpose has been accomplished in us. We now love righteousness and hate sin.

But if we do not adopt the attitude of war against sin we have no guarantee of what will take place after we die. We still are part of God's problem of rebellion in His creation even though we have made a profession of faith in Christ. We have not been faithful in the little things and it is certain we shall not be entrusted with the greater.

God has determined to put an end to sin. As an individual, we either are working with the Lord to accomplish His goal or we remain part of the problem. This is true whether or not we profess to be a Christian.

The entire Bible is a book of warfare, first against the Canaanites and now against the spiritual forces of the heavens that have rebelled against the Father. We may have a great desire to escape trouble but God has a great desire to remove sin from the universe. If we are willing to set aside our own interests at this time and join with God in His effort to rid the world of sin, the hour will come when we will be allowed to experience the bliss of Paradise.

To be continued.