WILLFUL SINNING
“Willful” means full of will, deliberate, intentional, intended, premeditated, purposeful, calculated, or voluntarily determined intention to do as one wants and it is designed to achieve a particular result. It is to do something with audacity or to be headstrong.
*Sinning” means breaking ,transgressing or violating the law of God. It can be doing or saying what is contrary to what God or wants. It is going against God’s will or wish.
“Willful sinning” is breaking or violating the law of God deliberately or intentionally. Is when a person expresses deliberate and sustained opposition to God and his law and defiantly refuses to repent.
Anything or whatever you do or say deliberately after you have known the truth of God’s law is willful sinning. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.”Heb10:26.
Let us give some examples of willful sinning.
You have read in the Bible or been preached to that Jesus said “l am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”Jn14:6.
But you refused blatantly to believe that Jesus is the only route to the Father and you decided to go your own way. You are sinning willfully.
Some of the Ten Commandments state thou shall not kill, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour, thou shall not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.Exo20:3-17.
These laws are for individuals and they are well and clearly stated in the Bible. Disobedience to any is therefore willful sinning. Your obedience to God’s laws does depend very much on you with the Holy Spirit empowerment. Doing the contrary is therefore deliberate, intentional and perhaps with a purpose. And the Bible says the wages of sin is death .
But how can one overcome willful sinning and sinning generally?
Give your life to Jesus, surrender to him totally and believe that he is the only way to the Father in heaven.John 14:4.
Identify the sins and repent of them and don’t allow such to dominate you or reign over your mortal body.Romans 6:12.-13.
Humble yourself before God and draw near him. Romans 6:11
Resist the devil and it will flee from you.James4:7
Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome. Romans. 8:15
Run away from the things that tempt you to sin.Gen 39:15.
Immerse yourself in the truth of the gospel by digging deep into the word and living by it.Matt4:4.
Give your life to Jesus and accept him as your Lord and saviour.Romans10:9.
Refuse the temptations of the flesh and all works of the flesh warring against the spirit of God.James4:7-8.
Abstain from the passion of the flesh which war against the soul.1Peter 2:11.
Fix your heart on Christ and pray without ceasing .1Thessa 5:17.
Cry to Jesus to help and deliver you from sinning.Romans7:25.
Penalty for sinning .
Sinning brings God’s judgement.
Threatens one’s salvation and the wages of sin is death.Romans6:23.
Results in eternal separation from God and the penalty of spiritual death.1John3:4.
Sin prevents one from fulfilling destiny and God will turn one over to a reprobate mind.Romans1:28.
Brethren, since sinning leads to spiritual death, loss of eternity and separation from God, you are admonished to repent of all sins, ask God for forgiveness of all whether willful or not and stop sinning. And never go back to old life of sinning.
Prayer.
LORD, God Almighty, I don’t want to be a slave to sin, give me the strength to forsake sin and dominion over sin and grace to sin no more whether willingly or unwillingly.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
