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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My friends invited me to a Bible study. Though I sin all the time, they put up with me. If I become a Christian, I'm afraid I will disappoint them because I will keep sinning. It's just my way of life. They've told me that if I walk with Jesus He will help me. If Jesus is in Heaven, as they say, how can I walk with Him since I am on earth? -- W.G.

A: There is only one way to have victory over sin. That's to be so closely walking with Jesus that sin no longer abounds; it becomes the exception rather than the rule. When a person accepts Christ as Savior, He comes in and cleanses us from sin and sets us on a new pathway. His Spirit lives within us and gives us the strength to say no to sin.

Though Jesus is in Heaven, He sends His Spirit to guide and direct us. It is possible to walk with Him every moment of the day. We can know the thrill of waking up every morning to sense His presence and experience His peace throughout the day.

Walking is a term that often speaks of our conduct. Just as we say certain people "run with the crowd," (meaning to do as they do), those who belong to Christ walk with Him, endeavoring to behave in a way that pleases Him.

Because Jesus is Lord, He, by His Holy Spirit, gives us power over sin as we daily walk with Him. Some future day He will take us to be with Him, far from the very presence of sin (Hebrews 9:28). Only if we have confessed our sins and received Him can He bestow on us the benefits of His forgiveness and the blessed assurance that we'll walk with Him in eternal life.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

(c)2019 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.