Saints, Sinners, and the Holy Spirit: Your Breakthrough Journey 🔥
Every saint is a sinner, and every sinner is a saint. That ain't new with me, that originated with J. Cole. Cole spat, 'every saint got a pass and every sinner has a future.' As I continually read the Bible while marinating on that bar, it led me to recognize that, "Every saint is a sinner, and every sinner is a saint!"
What I mean is, every "saint" has a sinful nature, just as every "sinner" has a "Holy helper" within them that is capable of guiding their lives to live as a "saint" and no longer live in sin. Our Holy Helper, is the Holy Spirit which Rick Warren explains, "fulfills in us, what God desires to do within and through us."
As we navigate life, and we see those that we may deem as "saints" we need to understand they are capable of living a lifestyle of sin and being a dirtbag, as every single one of us is born with a sinful nature, and if we allow that nature to manifest within us we will live ungodly and immoral lives. Because of that we must navigate life with spiritual intelligence and humility that recognizes the need to let the Holy Spirit guide our lives.
💡 Key Insight: Your past doesn't define you. Your willingness to let the Holy Spirit take the wheel does.
The Mercy Playbook
On the other side of the coin, if we have surrendered ourselves to God and allowed the Holy Spirit to take over within us, we must never give up on those the world may label, or they even label themselves "sinners" because they have access to the same "Holy Helper" that saved us, transformed us and met us at the most sinful versions of ourselves and instead of giving up on us, our Helper continually transforms us by producing the beautiful fruits of being led by the Holy Spirit!
In such instances we must hold on tightly to Jude's words in Jude 1. Jude states we must, "build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and (cautiously) show mercy to those whose faith is wavering." Another version states we should, "Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith, and go after those who take the wrong way" along with, "being tender with sinners."
🔑 Your Spiritual Intelligence Checklist:
Recognize your sinful nature (we ALL got one)
Stop trying to "fix" yourself on your own
Surrender control to the Holy Spirit
Watch how your life transforms
Two Game-Changing Takeaways:
1️⃣ If You're Stuck in Sin: You're not disqualified. The reason you are stuck is because of your lack of awareness and dependence of the Holy Helper that converted every saint you look up to from the sinner they used to be. Therefore, stop trying to clean yourself up solo, because you aren't capable. The Holy Spirit is your ultimate (eternal) life coach. Check the playbook:
Galations5:16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses…22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control… 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Zechariah 4:6 -“ It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Spiritual Cheat Code: Your transformation isn't about willpower. It's about Holy Spirit power.
2️⃣ Never Forget Where You Came From: Never forget the lifestyle of sin that the Holy Spirit gently delivered you from. Knowing that the same power of the Holy Spirit that delivers a sinner like you will gently do the same for those around you (sometimes through you).
Jude 1:21-23 TPT - "Fasten your hearts to the love of God and receive the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us eternal life. Keep being compassionate to those who still have doubts, and snatch others out of the fire to save them."