The Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death..." (Rom. 6:23). That means that if there is any dead stuff in our life, then we must have let a little sin in there.
Jesus said, "...My Father...cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful" (John 15:1-2).
The way a farmer gets rid of dead branches on his vines is to cut them off. That is exactly how we get rid of sin in our life. We must cut it off.
Sin kills you! It snuffs the vitality right out of your Christian life. We wonder why it is so hard to really hear from God. When we let sin in, we let death in.
We can go to church every week and read our Bible all the time, but if we let sin in, we let death in. That is why so many go to church but still do not feel alive on the inside. Once you cut the dead branches off, you will feel the freedom of real forgiveness and real life!
How do you cut them off? Repent and ask forgiveness. Do not ever do it again. Think of every dead branch in your life right now. Take some time to ask God to forgive you. Ask Him to pour the LIFE of His forgiveness into you now.
Let us "go and sin no more," just like Jesus told the woman caught in her sin. Let us be the ones who show this world what real life is all about. You should be the most ALIVE person that anyone has ever met; begin TODAY!
Excerpt permission granted by Teen Mania Ministries