How to Know if You are a Slave to Sin or Slave to Righteousness

Whatever it was that Jesus Christ set you free from, never let yourself forget what He did for you. Remembrance is an intentionally spiritual and worshipful act, not a natural one. When you regularly take the time to praise and worship the Lord, you will “enter into His gates with thanksgiving in your heart”. (Ps. 100:4) This is done by stirring up your memory, and deliberately thanking the Lord for what He did for you. The more you do this, the more you reinforce Calvary’s victory to yourself, but also to the enemy. Are you a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness? We all wrestle with this, but ultimately, praise will point the way to freedom!

Worship, prayer and communion are three powerful and different, yet equally important ways that you can remember what the Lord has done for you. Developing a lifestyle of praise means incorporating it into everything you do. It’s a mindset, a God-awareness, knowing that He is ever-present. Worship is God-centered and when you praise Him, you are removing your mind from yourself and opening a unique spiritual doorway that gives you a more dynamic access to His powerful presence.

The Slaves to Righteousness Choose to Serve

Having this regular point of contact will keep you from being a slave to sin because you’ll remain a slave to righteousness. “No man can serve two masters,” Jesus said. You were created to worship and connect spiritually with the Lord and if you don’t, you’ll serve and worship someone or something else- even if it’s yourself!

The regular, intentional process of remembrance is crucial in your faith for several reasons:

Spiritual disciplines will support your sanctification as you continually incorporate them into who you are as a person and even though you may fight against the chains the enemy wants to shackle you with, you’ll always walk free!

1. To remind you of the freedom Jesus Christ paid for. The enemy would love nothing more than to drag you back into who you used to be, or to keep you trapped in pain from the past. You may not even realize that you’ve chosen to be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness, but every day we have that choice! Remember this: “For freedom Christ freed us. Stand fast therefore and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1) A lifestyle where worship, prayer and communion are part of how you walk with the Lord will keep your spirit constantly fresh, in a place of renewal and thanksgiving and will prevent you from forgetting or taking for granted the miracle of what Jesus Christ did for you. Jeremiah 31:21 says this, “Set up road marks, place guideposts. Set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went.” The enemy wants to remind you of the past, but God wants you to remember that He has a future and a hope for you!

“You were bought at a price. Do not be the servants of men. Brothers, let every man, in whatever condition he is called, remain there with God.” (1 Corinthians 7:23-24)

Coming Out of Captivity and Never Going Back

2. To keep you from returning back. Plenty of Christians lapse back into sin and old behaviors after salvation. Why? Because they forgot just how bad it was. They start to long for the former things, or glamorize the past, when Jesus Christ is trying to do a new thing! there is a reason you ran to Jesus! If you have been truly set free by Jesus Christ, you are no longer a slave to sin. Do you still struggle? Many do! But remember this: Sin cannot overtake you without your permission. “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up,” the author of Hebrews wrote. (Hebrews 12:1) Living in a state of gratitude, which is the point of origin for worship, will prevent you from the desire to ever return to the place where Satan held you captive.

“Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new.”
~2 Corinthians 5:16-17

3. To strengthen your spirit for the process of sanctification. Walking away from sin, overcoming temptations and putting down the “old man” is not an instantaneous act, but an unfolding one that will continue, on various levels, throughout your life. If you are growing in Christ, some struggles will ease up while others may emerge. You must keep your freedom fresh through worship, which is ministry to the Lord. As you continue to minister to Him from your place of gratitude, you’ll find the strength to overcome adversity and temptation. But remember- worship is not a quick-fix and the Bible is not Aladdin’s lamp and prayers are not wishes of the heart. Do you desire routine or revival? Spiritual disciplines will support your sanctification as you continually incorporate them into who you are as a person and even though you may fight against the chains the enemy wants to shackle you with, you’ll always walk free!

Your Freedom Was Purchased By the Author of Your Faith

“You were bought at a price. Do not be the servants of men. Brothers, let every man, in whatever condition he is called, remain there with God.” (1 Corinthians 7:23-24)

“But now, having been freed from sin and having become slaves of God, you have fruit unto holiness, and the end is eternal life.” (Romans 6:22)

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

“…whoever commits sin is a slave of sin…Therefore if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34, 36)