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We have all sinned. We did that by making wrong choices when we were tempted. Now God is willing to forgive all our past sins and give us a fresh start by teaching and helping us to make the right choices. That is what it means for God to save us from our sins. We are wrong if we thought that salvation meant that whenever we sinned we could get forgiveness.

God does not compel anyone to be saved. He has prepared the way to forgive anyone who wants, by paying for the sins of the whole world (1Jn.2:2). That was why Jesus who lived a sinless life died, when all our sins were charged to Him. Anyone who accepts this sacrifice of Jesus, admitting his sins and acknowledging that it is something he does not deserve but a free gift from God, will receive forgiveness and cleansing for his sins, and adoption as His child (Jn.1:12).

If this was an act of giving up our sinful ways and entering into a life with God, represented by the narrow gate that Jesus spoke about, we must not forget that there is a path we must walk on for the rest of our life, following Jesus, which is what the narrow path is about (Mt.7:13,14). On this path we continually make choices, between what God wants us to do and what we feel like or what people of the world or the devil tell us. That was what Jesus said about denying ourselves and following Him (Lk.9:23). That is how we will be increasingly set free from the power of sin that used to hold us earlier and become transformed to become like our Lord and Master.

There are many people who leave this all to God because they recognise that by themselves they will be unable (Jn.15:5). While it is good to realise that we cannot overcome sin without help from God, we should not jump to conclude that therefore we need not do anything! If we think so, we will passively wait for God to do miracles in our life without doing the part we have to do. Our part is to make the right choice when we are tempted by anything displeasing to God (Ja.1:14).

When we are tempted to tell a lie, aren't we expected to choose not to? When we don't feel like forgiving someone? When we feel like watching a little porn? Teach someone a lesson? Did we think that when we pray and ask God to help us, suddenly we will stop feeling the temptation? God is working inside us giving us teaching, correction, encouragement, strength, etc., and then when we are tempted, we are expected to say no to that temptation and choose the way of God (Php.2:12,13). But many people who ask God for patience, for example, are disappointed with God when situations arise which tend to cause them to be impatient! No, these are training opportunities God gives us to learn to choose Him and His ways above everything and everyone else.

The devil likes to fool us into thinking that we are being very humble when we transfer our problems to God in prayer. When God answers our prayer by giving us wisdom and strength, aren't we are supposed to take the right action?

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