How come whenever someone hears someone else talking about sin, they automatically think in their hearts, "Oh, that person is just judgmental," or "That person is a Pharisee?" It seems that people have forgotten what the Bible says about sin. GOD HATES SIN. God wants us to walk perfect before Him, and this does not mean 'try your best' or even 'God knows you'll fail, so don't be perfect.'

Some people say that if you don't believe something to be sin, then it isn't sin. I heard a girl, who was involved in the Children of God cult, attempt to rationalize that sex before marriage is not a sin to her, nor murder a sin, because she had great faith, and whatsoever is not of faith is sin, so she was saying she could do these things in faith. Honestly, I believe she had the opposite! Real faith comes from knowing that God hates sin and that we need the sacrifice supplied by Jesus Christ on the cross. We also need His perfect life living within us to help us abstain from sin and to walk in truth and righteousness.

My faith is in the cross, and I cannot afford to tread upon His grace. Is your heart pure before God? Is the world pushing itself into your soul and kicking God out of your life? Anything from the world is considered sin in God's book, not mine. Examine yourself, whether you are truly saved, and then get right with God immediately. I have to do this as well, because I have in the past allowed sin to creep into my life, especially the gross sin of compromising with the world for my self-idolatrous purposes.

Some Christians have learned to sit as still as possible and smile while they hear a preacher preach on sin. Those type of Christians have become masters at avoiding their sins when convicted of the Holy Ghost. When I was entrenched in sexual sin, the preacher would stand behind his podium preaching on the subject of sex. I was thinking to myself, while sitting as proper and holy as possible, 'Don't discuss self-pollution, don't discuss self-pollution," bracing myself so it would not appear as if I had a problem when the preacher would mention it. He didn't mention it, and I continued to sin. Maybe the preacher knew he should have said something, anything, about this secret sin that destroys more people than murder, but for reasons unknown, he failed to mention it. I continued in my sin. I am not shifting blame upon him, for I committed the sin, but where are the bold ministers of God's holy word not afraid to take a stand for righteousness? I had learned to hide my sin from people, and even if some did see it in me, they never mentioned it because Christians today are afraid to rebuke a brother in order for that person to get right with God because they don't want to offend them.

How many times have you tried to bring a Christian back from backsliding and have the reply, "Judge not" or "Take the beam out of your eye!" These statements are scriptural, therefore true, but we must judge how the Scriptures judge. If you sin, you go to hell; however there is mercy, forgiveness, and grace through the cross. If anyone can go to the cross and see what the LORD Jesus Christ had to give up for us, what He did for us, how much pain and agony He suffered for our sins to be forgiven, I believe we would see far less backsliding in the church.

Do not be afraid to talk to other Christians about sin, and don't be afraid to part company with those that claim a Christian faith but are entrenched in the world. Don't feel sad if someone refuses to talk to you, or talks behind your back, because you are serious about Jesus Christ. Our LORD said that our enemies would be those in our own household, even our own 'brothers.'

So, what is sin? Sin is disobeying God's commandments, and if you disobey God's commandments, you do not love Him. Some people will say, "It's too hard to keep them all," but the scriptures say that His commandments are not grievous; those Christians that say that truly don't want to turn from their wicked ways. Anyone who is willing to stop sinning can stop sinning if they truly want to, because when a Christian accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, their flesh is crucified with Christ and killed, while the life of God through the Spirit that dwelt in Christ will live inside the Christian to keep them from sinning. If a true spirit, or attitude, of repentance hasn't occurred, then the 'Christian' will backslide and may never recover from sin after accepting the grace of God.

If you claim to be a Christian and you fall into sin, start all over with your Christian faith: get back up, repent, and do your first works all over again. Look at Jim Bakker. He had to start all over after falling into sin. Was he born again during his PTL days? I don't know, but what I do know is that he was tempted and failed. Jesus Christ always provides us with ways out of temptation, and Brother Bakker didn't see the way out that Jesus provided for him. Brother Bakker has found grace in God's eyes, and I believe that Brother Bakker is more a Christian today than ever. Praise Jesus for Brother Bakker's remarkable testimony!

The best way to avoid sin is to separate from the world. Look around your house and find everything that does not glorify God 100%. Don't you dare tell me that your nudie mags glorify God by keeping you from fornication. Don't you dare tell me that your violent movies glorify God by keeping your attention away from murder. Don't you dare tell me that your games keep you occupied from sinning. Anything that diverts your attention from the LORD, anything that is not edifying you to get closer to Jesus Christ in prayer, anything that is used by the devil to enslave millions MUST GO.

During my Christian walk, when I would exhibit a certain amount of godly fervent zeal, backslidden Christians would tell me, 'Don't worry, that will pass, and then you'll be just like me.' Because of their satanic prophecies, I backslid, but the LORD is gracious and has placed me back into fellowship with Him. He can do the same for you, but it takes a complete commitment and one-hundred percent abstinence from the world and sin. Allow God to humble you time and time again so you can be ready to receive whatever spiritual blessing Jesus has in store for you.

If the Bible says for you to do a certain deed, do it. If the Bible says not to do something, don't do it. If you sin out of ignorance, read the Bible and get educated about sin. Remember, if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness; and if you sin, you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous; but only the pure in heart will see God, and that comes with an unwavering faith that your sins are forgiven.

Take a day in fasting and prayer and search your heart to make sure your faith is real. If it is, you will have no fear confronting others about sin in their lives, and you will not fear anyone when you have to tell them the glorious gospel of forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His glorious resurrection from physical death, which makes possible the abstinence of sin.

It is time for the church to get real in their faith and to leave the lukewarm sludge it has caught itself in. Those who have faith but are lukewarm and worldly will be thrown out of the kingdom, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Please, get right with God and stop sinning. Except your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of your contemporary pastors, contemporary 'prophets', contemporary 'apostles', choir members, bishops, 'nuns', monks, or 'priests,' you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Praise Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God!