Song From NEXT2010 for Those Battling the Effects of Sin

Yesterday I posted a song I sang at the NEXT conference for those with disabilities.

A week or so before the conference began, I had a growing sense that there would be people at the conference who would be encouraged by attending, but would be battling the effects of sexual sin – either condemnation for sin in the past, or struggles with sin in the present. A preoccupation with either could rob them from enjoying the fruit from the conference. As the conference went on, that sense grew stronger.

As I prayed for those individuals, I again thought that the Lord might want to encourage them through a song. I could have simply shared my impression and exhorted them to believe the gospel, to trust that Christ, through his atoning death and victorious resurrection, fully paid for their sins and freed them from slavery to sin. Instead, I sang a song which came to me a few moments before we went on stage to lead the final session. I quickly jotted the words down on the back side of one of the guitar charts.

Someone emailed me yesterday to ask why I’d call a song like this spontaneous, when I had written the words down beforehand. Good question. It was spontaneous in the way the thought came to me (somewhat out of the blue), in the impression I had right before the meeting to share it, in the quickness with which the words came, and in the musical aspects. I also didn’t know when I might sing it going into the conference, or whether I would sing anything at all. I shared more thoughts about spontaneous/prophetic songs in an earlier post.

Regardless of what you call it, it was another opportunity to minister the truth of God’s Word and the gospel to his people through song. You can listen to it or download it by clicking here.

Here are the lyrics. I pray you’re encouraged by it.

Not a single spot
Not a single stain
Not a single blemish
Now remains
You have been washed clean
With the blood of Jesus Christ
And if your trust is in Him
You are righteous in my eyes

And though there is a battle
Though you fight the war
There are temporary pleasures
That’s not what you were made for
There are everlasting pleasures
That are waiting at my hand
And I only give joy
That will never ever end.

And if you fall again
My forgiveness will remain
For your debt is paid in full
And my love will never change
So trust in me each moment
For what you cannot do
For I’ll give you strength to conquer
For your life has been made new
I’ll give you strength to conquer
For your life has been made new.

For further encouragement in battling the effects and temptations of sexual sin I’d meditate on 1 Cor. 6:9-11, 1 Thess. 4:1-7, Rom. 8:1-4, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Col. 2:13-15. Two books I’d highly recommend are Making All Things New by David Powlison and Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure by John Piper.