David Diga Hernandez - Once You KNOW this Truth, Sin will Lose its Power

You may be struggling to overcome the sin nature, fighting temptation but still falling into sin. If you come to know this Biblical truth, sin will lose its power over you.

Show/hide text

I’m talking to that believer who is working with the Holy Spirit, surrendering to the Holy Spirit, and doing what they can in their own power in partnership with God’s grace to resist the temptations of the sin nature. I’m talking to the struggling believer who’s frustrated with their own behavior, who says, «I don’t want to do those things, but I keep doing them,» or «I know I should do those things, but I can’t bring myself to do them.» You should know that the Holy Spirit abides even when you sin, and this is something that friends of the Holy Spirit know. As you continue to walk long-term with the Holy Spirit in a way where you’re aware of His presence and aware of His nature, there will be moments where you make a mistake; there will be times when you fail Him, and in those moments, you’ll know that the presence of the Holy Spirit remains with you. So this is not an encouragement to sin; this is simply to say that even in our flawed state, the Holy Spirit abides. John 14:15–17 says this: «If you love me, obey my commandments, and I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth.» Now let me stop there for a moment to acknowledge that, very clearly, Jesus is instructing us to obey the commands of God. Here we see both grace and truth: you must obey His commands; if you truly love Him, you will aim to keep God’s holy standard. Then He says, «And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him.» So unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit. We understand that the Holy Spirit is omnipresent; He’s everywhere at all times. But the Scripture makes it abundantly clear that there is an indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer that is different from the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit. This is a heightened influence of Him; it’s how God marks His people. «But you know Him because He lives with you now and later will be in you.» The Holy Spirit will never leave a true believer. Now some might ask, «If someone becomes a true believer, can they stop being a true believer?» That’s often debated; we’re not talking about that. But what I am saying is that the Holy Spirit does not leave a true believer. When you are a true believer, the Holy Spirit abides with you. In fact, we need Him for the work of sanctification. We need the Holy Spirit to abide to help us get it right. 1 Peter 1:2 says: «Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.» So sanctification of the Spirit is unto obedience. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life that enables you to obey. We can pray, «Incline my heart to Your statutes; incline my heart to Your Word, Lord. Make me willing to obey You; bend my will.» That’s what the Holy Spirit does. When we surrender to that process of sanctification, we surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit, and He begins to do things in us that transform our nature. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 says: «But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.» So we believe the Holy Spirit sanctifies. Romans 8:13 states: «For if you live after the flesh, you shall die.» The Scripture is abundantly clear there. «But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.» So here the Scripture tells us that in order to subject the sin nature and the effect it has on the physical body, we must do so through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s through the Spirit that we mortify or put to death the deeds of the flesh. So how is it that the Holy Spirit can dwell where there is sin? This is a good question. How can the Holy Spirit dwell with a sinful person? Well, remember this is the work of the Cross; this is atonement; this is the ministry of reconciliation; this is imputed righteousness to you through faith. When you, as a born-again believer, place your faith in the finished work of the Cross, there’s a great exchange that takes place. When God looks at the Cross and sees the suffering of His Son, He has poured out His wrath upon the Son. When God looks at that sacrifice, when God looks at Christ on the Cross, He sees your every mistake. It was our sins that put Him there. When God looks at the Cross, He sees your flaws; He sees your mistakes; He sees your iniquity; He sees your sinful attitudes and your sinful thoughts, and that exchange took place in your favor. Because now, when God looks at those who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus, He sees Christ’s perfection on them. So God is redeeming us. Let me ask you this: When we sin, who is the one sinning? Is it someone else, another person that we might be able to blame? No. Is it some demon? No. Is it culture sinning through us? No. Who is the one sinning when we sin?