BONUS "How To Overcome Sin" by Kathryn Kuhlman SPECIAL

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.