If you’ve never had a kidney stone, be thankful…be very thankful. For those of you who have had the wonderful privilege, God bless you. Around six weeks ago I had the joy of finding out I had kidney stone, or the “rock from hades” as I called it. Although there were times I thought I might actually die, it passed….thank the Lord!  Once I laid eyes on the little devil I was amazed at how something so small could cause such misery. As bad as it was trying to pass the crazy thing, I immediately felt like a new man once the ordeal was over (Yes, there was shouting and several “thank you Lords” and “Hallelujahs”).

As I lay in bed that evening, I began to think about how sin can be just like that pesky kidney stone. So many times we’re guilty of having that little besetting sin in our lives that we refuse to confront and over time it starts growing and will eventually cause a lot of trouble for us. You know what I’m talking about. That besetting sin is what the writer was talking about in Hebrews that gives us so much trouble…EVERY SINGLE DAY (Heb. 12:1). We all have our own unique struggles and weaknesses and you know what yours are. You know who else knows? Yep, you got it…Satan. He knows that sin that keeps tripping you up and he knows how it so easily entangles you. Maybe you’ve prayed about it. Maybe you’ve really tried to get victory over it but there it is staring you in the face every day reminding you that it is still there!

You know who else knows about that besetting sin of yours? Jesus! Jesus knows exactly what you struggle with the most and He even knows what it feels like to be tempted just like us, yet He did not sin (Heb. 4:15). He even promised us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that there is no temptation that we struggle with that isn’t common to others. He even went on to promise in that same verse that we would never be tempted beyond what we could bear and that He would always provide us a way of escape when temptation comes our way. So what about that pesky sin of yours? Will you allow it to continue to defeat you? Will you continue to just give in every time temptation comes your way or will you finally nail it to the cross and leave it there? You see, the devil don’t play fair. He knows how to trip you up and will do everything in his power to do so because he loves seeing you be a slave to that sin. Can I remind you of what the Scripture says in I John 4:4? The later part reads, “…greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

I don’t know what little sin (or big sin) you’re struggling with but rest assure, Jesus is willing and able to give victory like only He can give. He is the only one that can break the stronghold of sin. There truly is power in the name of Jesus! He’s already conquered death, hell, and the grave and has the keys to prove it! Think about that: The devil is the only rascal in town that doesn’t have the keys to his own home! We’ve been slaves to our besetting sins far too long. Jesus is waiting to give you victory and deliverance if you’ll only let Him. Once you finally give it to Him, you’ll have peace that only comes from Him.

In closing, you’ll never get victory over your sin as long as you keep playing with it and feeding it. The only way to get true victory over sin is to starve it out. What I mean is, run from it and stay far from it. When the Bible says flee temptation, it literally means run away, fast! Sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you far more than you ever wanted to pay. Don’t forget the wonderful promise we have in I Corinthians 10:13. He WILL provide a way of escape! Learn from Jesus and how he dealt with temptation (Matt. 4). He didn’t pray it away. He used Scripture. If you struggle with anger, find scripture that you can go to when you become angry. If its lust, find out what the Word says about lust and give the devil a healthy dose of it! Whatever it is you struggle with, find out what the Scripture says about it. Don’t just read the Word…Know the Word! It’s the only weapon we have against the enemy (Eph. 6:17).

Praying for you always,

Dustin