Reigning Over Sin
Psalm 74:18-19
Remember this: the enemy has mocked the LORD, and a foolish people has insulted Your name. Do not give the life of your dove to beasts.
Galatians 6:7 warns us sternly that God is not mocked. A man will reap what he sows. While we certainly live in a day of grace, we are not living under grace if we insist upon staying in our sin. Grace does not condone sin; it enables us to overcome it.
When we insist upon remaining in sin, knowing full well what we are doing, we are mocking God. We, in effect, relay the message that we know better and are going to do what we want. To try to claim that grace covers such outright rebellion is mockery and insults both God and men. As this Scripture reveals, foolish people insult God’s name.
Asaph is the writer of this Psalm, and he asks God not to give the life of His dove to beasts. The dove is often used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. When Jesus was baptized, we see the Holy Spirit descending upon Him as a dove. Rest assured that God will not anoint those who mock Him.
Romans 6:12-14
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.
Notice carefully when sin will not rule over you – when you do not allow sin to reign in your body. While we all sin, we are not called to stay there. God calls us to live righteously through Christ, and we are to put away unrighteousness. If we insist upon keeping our sin, we cannot claim grace over it. You really cannot have your cake and eat it, too! God will not anoint that which mocks His name. If you think you will succeed in anything without the grace of God, you are fooling only yourself.
Don’t be an enemy of God. Let go of anything that hinders your relationship with Him. It just isn’t worth it in the long run. You don’t have to let sin ruin what God has in store for you. He promises that sin will not rule over you, but you have to be willing to lay it down. Determine to reign over sin, and don’t allow it to reign over you. There you will find grace to cover the damage it has caused.
Have a blessed day!