The other day I got to thinking about something.
It was almost as though it was a conviction.
I find myself so hungry for the deep spiritual
truths. I seek to learn the deep truths as found
in the Word of God. Till suddenly I had become
aware of the fact that perhaps I have overlooked
some of the very deepest of the spiritual truths,
and yet they have almost seemed insignificant
to you and to me. I mean that. Therefore, for
the rest of the broadcast, we're going to have
a little heart -to -heart talk. together regarding
the subject of how to overcome sin. Now, the
very minute that I speak the word sin, invariably,
we have our own standards as to what sin is,
what is considered a big sin, a great sin, or
just a little. And sometimes these little sins
are really not classified as sin, but as a weakness,
and they're not given much attention. Do you
know something? We make our own standards regarding
sin. How often... A man will walk down the aisle
and say, I am a drunkard. I am addicted to alcohol.
I have been addicted to alcohol for years, and
I must have deliverance. I'm sick and tired of
being sick. I want deliverance from liquor. Mentally,
we say, oh, what a big sinner. What a great sin.
And there are thousands of us who literally have
classed alcohol. We have put certain labels on
certain sins and have thought of them. as being
great sins. We have seen God give great and open
and instantaneous victory over sins that we have
considered big sins. That man was instantly delivered
from liquor. That moment when that man confessed,
his sin, when he looked himself directly in the
face and said, I'm sick of being in bondage to
the evil one. I'll no longer be in bondage to
liquor. I am an alcoholic. I want deliverance.
This is my time. This is my day. When he confesses
the thing to himself and to God, brings it out
in the open, God meets him instantly, and he
is instantly delivered. But do you want to know
something? There are sins that you and I think
of as being little sins. They're in your life,
in my life. That in the sight of God, they are
just as big and just as great as the sin, of
being addicted to liquor, to alcohol. That's
right. I almost took somebody's breath away.
You'd better just pause a minute. You may be
needing the very thing that I'm talking about
right now. You study the Word of God. As you
read the Word and... If you and I have any right
to put sin in any kind of a category, I think
that we'll find that the sin of jealousy is the
worst sin there is. So great, so powerful is
the sin of jealousy that literally it's power.
It's force. caused one of the three most beautiful
angels that God ever created and to whom he gave
the greatest power, transformed that one from
an angel into the devil. It was the sin of jealousy
that caused... Lucifer. To be what he is today.
The devil. Satan. And yet how many of us will
just label the sin of jealousy as a weakness.
A minor thing. Something that we have never confessed.
We have never admitted the sin in our own lives.
We do not see it in ourselves. I'm going to say
something. There have been literally hundreds
of men and women who have admitted the sin of
liquor. of smoking, of the things that we call
big sins. And yet, I have never once in my entire
ministry ever had a man, a woman, walk down the
aisle and say, I want to be delivered from the
sin of jealousy. I have never once had one walk
down the aisle and say, Miss Kuhlman, I have
a demon of lying. It's easier for me to tell
the untruth than it is to tell the truth. I am
possessed with a demon of lying. I want to be
delivered from lying. I have never once had anyone
walk down the aisle and say, Miss Kuhlman, I
am plagued with the sin of deceit. I am a very
deceitful person. I have never once had anyone
walk down the aisle and say, Miss Kuhlman, I
am a very selfish person. My whole world... revolves
around myself. I am selfish, and I want to be
delivered from my selfishness, my self -centeredness.
Never once. Do you want to know why? It's because
few people will look themselves directly in the
face. and say, look here, old girl, I'm jealous.
All this trouble that's being caused in my home,
all this bickering, all this fighting, all this
dissension, all the unhappiness that is in our
home today, all the arguing. all the unhappiness.
I am the one who is causing it all because of
my jealousy. I am as possessed, I am as bound
with the sin of jealousy as the man is bound
by the sin of liquor. There's no difference.
Both are of Satan, both are of the evil one,
and both people are in bondage, one to liquor,
one to jealousy. Both causing heartbreak, both
can break up a home, both causing tears, both
causing dissension, and yet... The man is delivered
from his liquor and his alcoholism because he
admits it. He confesses it to himself, to God,
and God gives him deliverance. Whereas the one
with the sin of jealousy will not admit it to
themselves. They will not be honest with themselves.
Therefore, there is no confession. And when...
you will not confess the thing God himself cannot
help you. There is only one thing that God cannot
do. There's only one person God cannot help.
And that is the man or the woman, the person
who will not confess his sin. And it's just like
that. Yes, ma 'am. There is no help for you until
you admit your sin. Until you admit your fault.
Until you admit your weakness. Just like that.
I don't care what it is. Name it. I've used jealousy.
There's a temper. That violent, uncontrollable
temper. Oh, you say, but my father had it. My
grandfather had it. You'll label it as something
that you inherited. It makes no difference. It
is still sin when it's not brought under control.
It still causes heartache. It'll still cause
trouble. And you've got to be delivered from
it just as the man is delivered from any sin
that you have labeled a Big sin. All right, you
say, Miss Coleman. All right, I go along with
you this far. But it's one thing to show me my
sin. But now what's the remedy? Where's the answer?
Well, I'll tell you. Your starting point. is
to see yourself as God sees you. Look yourself
directly in the face. To make it very definite,
walk over to the nearest mirror, look yourself
in the face, talk to yourself, and you say, it's
true. I admit I have this sin. I admit this is
my weakness. That's your beginning. All heaven
from here on out is on your side. With that admission,
that confession, 90 % of the battle is already
won. All right, what about the rest of it? Here's
the answer. I live, says Paul, yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me. How do we overcome? Because
greater is he that is in you than he that is
in the world. In other words, in all of these
things, we're not fighting against flesh and
blood. We are fighting against something that
is greater than flesh and blood. There are only
two forces in the world. The forces of sin, the
forces of unrighteousness. And when you fight
the forces of sin and you fight the forces of
unrighteousness, you're not fighting against
flesh and blood. You're fighting, when you're
dealing with sin, you're fighting against a power.
over which there is only one power greater. That's
the power of God. Therefore, I do not agree with
the one who says that these things can be overcome
by one's willpower. For in dealing with men and
women, I discovered something a long time ago.
Willpower is wonderful as long as it can hold
out. But when your willpower... loses its strength
and loses its force, then you go down in defeat.
And in the face of Satan, in the face of sin,
few men, few women have the willpower to overcome.
The secret of victory is the Indwelling Christ.
Know that. That's the secret. I'm going to say
something. You're going to be surprised at what
I may say. You'll never get victory over that
thing by fighting it. Because you're fighting
a losing battle. I know it's true. That Paul,
in the word of God, exhorts us to fight the good
fight. But he hastens to add of faith. He didn't
say fight the good fight to overcome your sins.
He didn't say that. He says fight the good fight
of faith. Now a fight of faith. cannot be a struggle
it's true that james said in the word of god
resists the devil how with your hands through
will power surely not he says whom resist steadfast
in the faith will disstand not struggle having
done all things stand The shield of faith is
able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil
one. Read it. It's in the sixth chapter of Ephesians.
Faith does nothing. Faith lets God do it all.
Jesus Christ has won. He's won the victory for
me. That's the reason Paul says, I live. Yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me. Ye are of God
and have... overcome how why because greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world
and so we come back to the same theme the secret
of victory is the indwelling christ victory is
entrusting not trying this is the victory that
overcometh the world and sin even our faith A
man who tries by strenuous effort to resist our
struggle against sin until it is conquered is
said to be growing in grace. Yet, all growth
takes place without effort. Our Lord himself
said, no man by taking thought can add one cubit
to his stature. And that's true of our spiritual
growth. Take a physical growth. How is growth
secured? Air, food. Exercise ensures growth when
there is life. We don't think about the growth
of our physical body. If we breathe in good air,
if we partake of good, substantial food, if we
exercise the body, the growth, good, strong,
physical growth is ensured. If our spiritual
life is sustained by the Holy Spirit, within
and around us. If it is nourished by Jesus Christ
himself, who is the bread of God, it will exercise
itself in good works and there will automatically
be growth. There's a wondrous growth in grace,
but there is no growth into grace. Because sin
hinders this growth. And struggling against sin
cannot help the growth. In other words, let's
just be very practical about the whole thing.
You admit this sin in your life. It's there.
The admission itself. brings to you 80 % of your
victory. You look up and confess it to God and
say, it's there. I want now, please, as I've
confessed it to you, forgive all the harm that
I have done through this sin in my life. I'm
sorry. The thing's confessed. The thing has been
forgiven. You look up and throw yourself completely
on the mercy of God. Daily, you say, Dear Jesus,
I want you to so feel this life of mine. take
such complete charge of this body of mine. Give
me your thoughts. Give me the mind of Christ.
May Christ so indwell this body of mine that
there'll not be room for that sin. I shall so
see the good in the other person. I shall trust
that one of whom I am jealous as completely as
I trust you. With the same trust, the same confidence,
the same faith that I have in you, I shall trust
that one of whom I am jealous. Because, you know,
Perfect love casteth out all fear, all doubt,
and all jealousy. Make this real to hearts for
Jesus' sake. Amen.