Get Real About Sin
Search me oh Lord and
know my heart today.
"He who conceals his sin
does not prosper"
(Proverbs 28:13a)
The One Thing
What Have You Avoided
Calling "Sin" In Your Own Life?
Get Real!
Confess It To God!
Get Real About Sin!
Genuine repentance is man's work and requires
that I brazenly see myself as I am, without excuse
reservation or self-justification. Sin isn't the
fault of my friend, my family, my boss or society.
I sin...and as an individual, I'm the only one
to blame. Period! Daniel gave us a great example
of that kind of brazen honesty in (Daniel 9).
Even though he was one of the most faithful men
in the Bible, Daniel knew his own sin was a problem.
Daniel knew that good men, like himself, would
have to repent. But he also knew what kind of God
he was repenting to. Besides being a holy God
who won't tolerate sin, He's a promise-keeping
God of love and compassion, who receives honest men
who come to Him on His terms through the blood of
Jesus Christ. In fact, Daniel knew the most dangerous
choice would be to lurk in the shadows of dishonesty
before God. That's true today. Who knows what blessings
we're trading for misery by not being real about our
sin? To avoid the life-choking effects of sin,
there are guidelines we can follow.
(1) Listen Carefully To God!
What is God trying to say to you?
Are you listening?
Everyone needs the constant communication God
makes available to us through the Bible.
(Psalm 1) says that we need to meditate on
God's Word...read it and think about its meaning
and application to our lives. Then what we do
with what we've heard will determine whether we're
lightweights where sin is concerned or strong, stable
men who see consequences as a life-and-death issue.
(2) Don't Play Games With God!
Imagine a basketball game in which two goals suddenly
appear on the same backboard. You'd have 10 frustated
players who wouldn't know which goal they were
defending or aiming at to score. If God has
set a single standard according to His Word, don't
play games with Him. Accept the set standard.
What's right and wrong is based on God's unchanging
character, so it doesn't change. When we begin to
redefine sin, we not only confuse ourselves but
others we influence. That can affect a family,
a community, a culture, a country.
(3) Live In Humility!
Don't compare yourself to others, but to Christ.
That'll bring you off your high horse and harness
your judgmental attitudes toward others.
God's the standard!
He isn't concerned with comparing you to another
man and his particular sin. He's concerned with you
and the blessings you're missing by not being honest
about sin in your own life.
(4) Never Give Up!
Persist in flagging sin as the scourge and thief
it is, even while trusting God to deliver you from
its power one more time. Don't ever let the evil one
convince you that the last sin you committed is the
one God won't forgive. Grasp the truth of (1 John 1:9)
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
all unrighteousness." Jesus died for every sin
you've committed or will commit.
Count On It!
Partial article from "HomeLife"
Copyright
2004
LivingFaith
All rights reserved
Globes are exclusives - Do Not use them
