[center]Awake To Righteousness and Sin Not[/center]

And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you may not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die (Genesis 2:16-17).

And you has He quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1).

Awake to righteousness and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame (1 Corinthians 15: 34).

He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin, for His seed remains in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God (1 John 3: 8-9).

The first command God gave to Adam was that he was free to eat of every tree of the Garden of Eden except of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If he does of the forbidden tree, he would surely die. Adam disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit and died spiritually, i.e. he was separated from God, his source of life, having been driven out of the garden (Genesis 3:24).Though he was alive physically, yet he was dead spiritually. He became half dead. This is the state of many people on earth today because we all inherited the sinful nature from Adam. When somebody is dead spiritually, what are the symptoms? He (or she) does not have any relationship with God, the Creator. Some even deny the existence of God. Such a person does not go to church. He (or she) is indifferent to the things of God. Such a person sees nothing wrong in stealing, cheating, having multiple sex partners, saying foul languages, engaging in cultism, being proud, committing murder, etc, etc. Those who engage in these vices are living in sin and are dead to God. But the wages of sin is death. If one dies in sin, he (or she) goes to hell. There is a hell and a heaven people go when they die. Where will you go after death?

God has solved the problem of sin by sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, because it was the devil that deceived Eve, Adam’s wife, to eat the forbidden fruit. She gave to Adam and he did eat.

When you receive Jesus into your heart, He washes away your sin and awakens your dead spirit to righteousness and awareness of God. When this happens, you begin to love God and the things of God. You begin to love righteousness and hate sin. It is possible not to sin. How? By the power of the Holy Spirit that enters you the moment you receive Jesus and confess Him as your Lord and Savior. It is then you are born again, born of God and you cannot sin because His seed, i.e. His word remains in you and you cannot sin because you are born of God. Those who are born of God – who practice righteousness – eventually, go to heaven to meet God. Those who continue in sin are of the devil and they eventually go to hell. This is really the truth and a choice is placed before you – heaven or hell, righteousness or sin, God or the devil? Make the right choice today and it shall be well with your soul. If your choice is right, pray this prayer aloud: Lord Jesus, come into my heart, wash away my sins. I confess you as my Lord and Savior in Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.

For prayers and counseling: write, call, visit or email: Prevailing Word & Prayer Ministries Inc. No 11, Ibrahim Tahir Lane, Utako District, Abuja. Tel. 08033155417. Email: josey500@yahoo.com