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Overcoming Sin's Grip
Numbers 31:2
"Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people."
Those who have ever had a besetting sin know that overcoming it is no easy task. Many find their besetting sin will haunt them until the day they die. However, we must realize that God provides a way through the Scriptures to overcome the grip that sin has on our life.
The children of Israel had an association that seemed to grip them. It was their association with the Midianites. It was this association that caused them to face God's judgment a few chapters earlier. In this chapter, God showed the Israelites how to overcome the grip of the Midianites. The same way they had to overcome the Midianites grip is the same way that any Christian must overcome their besetting sin.
First, realize that the battle over sin is a holy war. Verse 6 says that God told them to go to war with the Midianites. You must get God's help if you are going to overcome the grip of sin. Christian, make no mistake about it, it is a war! It is a war between the flesh and the spirit. Until you declare war on your besetting sin, you will never overcome its grip.
Second, get rid of the core of your sin problem. Verse 8 tells us that they slew the kings of Midian. The kings were the core of the whole problem. With the kings gone, they had a better chance of overcoming the Midianites. Likewise, you must identify the core of your sin and remove it. 1 John 1:9 tells us to confess the sin to God so that we can overcome it.
Third, avoid places of temptation. Verse 10 tells us that they had to burn the cities. The cities represent the places of temptation. There are temptations that you face that cause you to continually go back to the sin that grips your life. Whatever the things or places are that tempt you to do wrong, you must completely avoid them if you plan to overcome sin's grip.
Fourth, destroy any and all ties to your sin. God told the Israelites in verse 17 to destroy all that they got from Midian. Any tie that you have with your sin must be destroyed. Too many times we keep the ties of sin around just in case we want to go back to them. You cannot do this if you want to overcome sin's grip. Anything that has to do with your sin must be removed from your life.
Last, purge your sin through God's Word. God told Israel in verse 23 to purify everything with water. God's Word is symbolized by water. To overcome the grip of sin, you must spend a lot of time in the Word of God. Memorize Its pages to purge your mind from sin. Read It's words so that It will go into your heart and clean you from the grip of sin.
Sin is never easy to overcome. However, through these steps you will find the grip of sin weakened and eventually removed from your life. Don't let your sin get victory over you, but with God's help and through the principles of His Word you can get the victory you have longed for over sin.