Sin is a powerful slave master. Hiding under its talons, one finds no hope of breaking free on his own. Sadly, many believe they can never get out of it, saying, "Once a (insert bad habit here), always a (repeat bad habit here)."

There's hope, however. In Galatians 1:3-5, Paul tells us,

"Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (NKJV)

Christ Delivered Us

Christ came to earth as a human so that by being a normal man He could destroy that which we couldn't. He became man so that He could break the power of sin and death over our lives, truly setting us free.

"Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying ... Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:14-15, 17 NLT)

Christ did not die on the cross for us to feel bad about our sinfulness, say sorry, and then go back to our sinful ways because "we're born that way." No friends, even if it's true that we were born with the sinful nature inside of us, Christ's death and resurrection freed us from it. And if we'll repent and turn to Him for our salvation, He'll give us a new nature: His very nature.

"Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy." (Ephesians 4:21-25 NLT)

Freedom to Live

I don't know if you've been a believer in Christ for a long time or perhaps this is the first time you've heard about Him really, but I want to tell you this wonderful truth: In Christ, you're freed from the grip of sin and are empowered to live a godly, holy, and righteous life.

"By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvellous glory and excellence." (2 Peter 1:3 NLT)

Friend, if you will repent of your sins before the Lord and receive His salvation based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, be encouraged to know that sin no longer has any hold on you to dictate what you will do.