Devotions - Prayer
“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” – Ecclesiastes 7:9
Anger can result from many circumstances. Anger is like warning lights on the front of your car dashboard. They signal that there is something going on under the hood, and we should take a look to examine the source of the problem.
Anger can be traced to a few sources.
First, when we lose control of a circumstance that we have placed certain expectations on and those expectations do not result in our desired outcome, we are tempted to get angry.
The source of this type of anger is both fear and protection of personal rights.
You see, when we believe we have a right to something, we have not given the Lord permission to allow an outcome different from what we want.
If an outcome is different from our expectations, this may stimulate fear.
The next time you get angry ask the Lord what is the source of that anger? Did the Lord allow that failure to let you see what is “under your hood”? God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind (see 2 Tim. 1:7).
In Genesis 4 the account says that Cain was angry at God’s rejection of his offering, and his face was downcast.
Cain was angry and resentful.
Cain was jealous because his brother was accepted and he was rejected. As the New Testament tells us, he was angry because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous (1 John 3:12), and so he was filled with jealousy.
But notice God’s grace. He simply asks him a question, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
That is the best question to ask a jealous, resentful individual. Why? Think it through, now, why are you so angry? Why are you filled with resentment against this person?
Why should you assume that you have special immunity to the normal problems, injustices, and trials of life?
How often I flare up with jealous anger Lord, when I feel I am being robbed of what I deserve. Forgive me, and continue to remind me that Your ways are, indeed, not my ways. Amen
*We will be confronted with suffering, pain grief and trouble.
*We must be prepared.
**We prepare by spending time with God.
***Our brokenness allows God to work.
Psalm 51:16–17 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
What is David the psalmist telling us there?
Surely he’s telling us that first and foremost God is not interested in externals.
*Sacrifice and offerings are not necessarily things that God does not want, but they are things that He does not want first and foremost.
*And if that’s all there is in our lives – the external practices of religion – then God takes no pleasure in them.
*God looks below the surface
*God looks to the heart
*God looks to the motives
*God looks to the attitude.
*And it says that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Those are strange words to our ears today.
What does it mean that God desires a broken spirit?
*Does He want to crush us?
*Does He want to beat us down?
*Does He want to humiliate us?
No, I’m sure that’s not it.
What is a broken spirit?
I think it’s a spirit that has come totally to the end of itself.
*All independence, all self-will and all self-righteousness have been purged out. (A Bankrupt Spirit)
We’ve come to the place where we have no hope but in God; we’ve come to the end of our own resources.
We have no claims upon God, we simply turn to Him for His mercy and His faithfulness, not trusting our own merits, but clinging only to God.
God can create a pure heart in anyone!
Therefore repent and ask God to make you a new creature and live for him and him alone…
Isaiah 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them. AMEN
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For One Cause—CHRIST!
“ I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.” (Colossians 2:2)
HOW TO RESTORE A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP
1 Talk to GOD before talking to the person.
In doing so, you may find a change of heart or the other person may have changed without your help.
This may provide you the clarity you need.
2. Always take the initiative.
Make the first move; don’t wait for the other party. By delaying it deepens resentment and makes matters worse.
Acting quickly reduces the damage.
3. Sympathize with their feelings.
Listen first. Hear what they are feeling. Focus on their feelings and not the facts.
Begin with sympathy; not the solutions.
4. Confess your part of the conflict.
Admit your own mistakes. Determine how much of the problem is actually your fault or issue.
5. Attack the problem, not the person.
You cannot fix the problem if you are fixing blame. Choose between the two.
How you say things is as important as what you say.
6. Cooperate as much as possible.
Sometimes it costs us our pride; often our self-centeredness.
Do your best to compromise, adjust to others and show preference to their needs.
Lord, help me guard my heart above all else, for it determines the course of my life. Help me restore relationships that I may serve the Body of Christ as You have intended me too. Lord, continue to teach me about Your perfect Character through the Beatitudes in Mat. 5:3-12. Help me to become more and more like You each day. Amen
Read MoreEphesians 4:30-32 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
What a marvelous understanding of the nature of sin and the character of God’s forgiveness is found in these verses!
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 51:1-2).
There are three things David asks for.
1. First, he understands that sin is like a crime.
If criminals are to be delivered from the effects of their crime, they do not need justice but mercy. Sin is an illegal act, a violation of justice, and an act of lawlessness and rebellion and therefore requires mercy.
2. Then he says, “Blot out my transgressions,” and thereby he reveals that he understands sin is like a debt. It is something owed, an account that has accumulated and needs to be erased.
3. Finally he cries, “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
He understands that sin is like an ugly stain, a defilement upon the soul.
Even though the act fades into the past, the dirty defiling stain remains a stigma upon the heart. So he cries out and asks to be delivered from these things.
Notice that David understands well the basis for forgiveness. He asks on the basis of two things:
First, “according to your unfailing love.”
He understands that he himself deserves nothing from God, that God is not bound to forgive him.
Some people are never able to realize forgiveness because they think they deserve it, that God owes it to them. But David knows better. He realizes that only because of God’s love may he even approach God to ask.
On the basis of that unqualified acceptance, that marvelous continuing love-that-will-not-let-me-go, he says to God, “I am coming to you and asking now for this.”
Second, as David appeals to God “according to your great compassion,” he again indicates his understanding of the character of God.
When God forgives, He forgives beyond our utmost imaginings.
What relief comes when we begin to understand this fullness of God’s forgiveness.
Father, thank You that I can come to You with my sin and cry out for mercy and love. Your love is steadfast; your mercy is abundant. I trust that You are always willing to forgive. Amen
READ PSALMS 32 AND GET SOME FREEDOM FROM THE WORD!
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13a).
At times the road before me seems long, steep and challenging. I can feel lost. Uncertain. Afraid. Sometimes I’m not sure I have the strength for the journey.
It’s in those times that God wants me to remember I’m not traveling alone. He is my ever-present guide. He knows where the road leads. He can see what lies ahead. And that’s not all.
God also knows my concerns. He knows what I feel. The pain I cannot explain to someone else … God knows. The fear of the unknown—He knows. And He offers me Himself.
Perhaps you feel overwhelmed today. You may be experiencing some sadness, loss or worry. You may find that God has called you to a difficult path. “Surely,” you think, “God has an easier road for me to travel.”
The truth is, we aren’t wise enough to assume another path would be best for us.
*Maybe the easier road won’t make us into the person God intends us to be.
*Perhaps the difficult road is a path of grace—protecting us from the worst.
*Maybe this road is about learning something new about God or ourselves.
*Could it be the difficult journey is the path that prepares us for a greater purpose or a greater faith in God?
Out of all the possible paths, God knows the best path.
Our key verse reminds us, “His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.”
**Because of this, we can take the path God has laid out for us today. We can trust, and not fear, in His infinite wisdom and love. And we can be certain that God will never lead us down the wrong road.
Do not be troubled by these times of perplexity. They are normal experiences coming to all in the life of faith.
Lord, because You will never lead me down the wrong road, I can trust You when I need to make decisions about my family, my career, and my health. Thank You for Your wisdom and guidance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:24-25).
What Jesus is saying is, “The great hindrance to having faith in God is pride, the pride that refuses to forgive (an inflated sense of one’s personal status or accomplishments).
*You have the power to have that removed if, when you stand and pray, you will forgive those who have offended you.” Because the only thing that stops us from forgiving one another is pride.
We feel justified in wanting others to forgive us but also in feeling that we have to exact a price for the hurt they have caused us. So, in many ways—subtle, or direct and open—we insist that we will not forgive, that our offenders have to pay for what they have done to us. Somehow, we are going to make them crawl, make them beg or plead for forgiveness.
“And that,” Jesus says, “is a great mountain that needs to be removed, for it is blocking the flow of the life of God to your faith.” So when you stand and pray, life will flow from God when you are able to recognize that you, too, need forgiveness. God has forgiven you. God has offered it freely to you; give it just as freely to the one who has offended you.
The one thing above all else that seems to block the flow of the life of God to an individual, to a church, or to a nation, is:
- this unwillingness to forgive, this holding of grudges,
- this desire to put somebody down in order to feel good yourself,
- this unwillingness to set these things aside and let God heal all the hurts of life.
The Lord brings us through a time of testing and adjustments. There are corrections to be made to our path of life, and those corrections will begin to bear fruit as soon as we let go of the things that have been a distraction and a hindrance to our progression. You will now be able to see with greater clarity and understanding, as you walk in the Spirit.
Proverbs 10:17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray.
Father, how many times I have refused the forgiving word, the restoring act, only to be tormented by fears and anxieties and worries. Thank You for the forgiveness that is mine in Jesus Christ. Teach me to extend it to those around me. Take my pride from me! Amen
Read MoreJohn 14:26 The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.
In Paul’s time, some believers didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit.
“He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2).
*These people were saved, but it is clear they were not filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did not send His disciples into the world until they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit.
*The disciples had pure hearts and faith to heal the sick and they were witnesses to His resurrection.
*They were even willing to die for Jesus, so what more could there be?
Clearly there was more! “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”(Acts 1:8).
Do you really want the Holy Spirit to be alive in you? You have to be convinced this is for you.
*You must come to the place where you know you are nothing, have nothing, and can do nothing without the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is yours for the asking: “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).
1 Corinthians 2:10 But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God’s purposes. 11 It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God’s Spirit knows all about God.
How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
*Prayer is the master key to having the Holy Spirit.
1. Repent/give up self
2. We must be born again(Turn to God)
3. We must have a thirst for Him.
4. Baptized in the Name of Jesus
5. Open up your heart to the word of God.
6. Ask in faith. (Hebrews 11:6)
Acts 2:38 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 6:63 What gives life is God’s Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit.
Even though spiritual and natural storms rage, find the place of peace where your faith and trust are unshaken. Jesus is with you and for you even in the most difficult circumstances. Amen
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“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God”.(Matthew 5:23-24).
*”Christians are to be reconciled, whatever it takes…
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
*Wise speech needs to be careful, humble, gentle, timely and truthful (get rid of half truths)
* A pure heart overflows into pure truthful speech.
Avoiding Conflict!!!
We are called to speak the truth in love.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Eph 4:15-16).
*Failure to confront in love allows the enemy to sow greater seeds of conflict.
*That lack of forgiveness plants the seeds that later led to disaster.
*It’s a lesson for all of us as we can easily fall into temptation to the same pride that ignores our own sinfulness and pushes us to pass judgment on those who sin against us. As James so eloquently reminds us, we have no business passing judgment on others when we ourselves can barely get through a day without sinning.
Is there someone in your life that you need to confront in love?
*Most people: Remember the things that ought to be forgotten and forget the things that ought to be remembered.
*Jesus died to set you free. Accept it.
*Let us pray for a pure heart, let us be Spirit directed toward Holiness as He is Holy.
Jesus You are the Way, The Truth and the Life, help me to Love as You Love have loved me for Your Glory. Amen
Biblical Ways to Love in Truth:
*Listen without interrupting. Proverbs 18
*Speak without accusing. James 1:19
*Give without sparing. Proverbs 21:26
*Pray without ceasing. Colossians 1:9
*Answer without arguing. Proverbs 17:1
*Share without pretending. Eph. 4:15
*Enjoy without complaint. Philip. 2:14
*Trust without wavering. Corin. 13:7
*Forgive without punishing. Col. 3:13
*Promise without forgetting. Prov. 13:13
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” – Judges 11:29a
We’ve all heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years.
*Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease – these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.
Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God’s sight.
*He was born to Gilead, a result of his father’s adulterous encounter with a prostitute.
*Jephthah’s half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman.”
*Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.
This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. Today he probably would have been part of a street gang?
As he got older, his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander.
Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.
“Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house?” he responded. He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life.
It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive.
**It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly.
**Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.
The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways.
*Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God.
*However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will choose to follow Him with an upright heart.
*Jesus does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.
Lord, I’m so glad I don’t have to say that right thing to get Your attention. Thank You for Your Spirit that lives in me and leads me—in my daily activities and even in my prayers. Please show me verses You want me to pray so I can see Your Word come alive in my circumstances and become active in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Read MoreAll our flowery words about Jesus are not enough. Our actions must match our words in order for it to become truth.
*”Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Matthew 23:28
Psalm 147:2–3The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
The Lord is today building up Jerusalem. He is gathering the exiles of Israel. He’s healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds.
* That’s good news for all who will turn to God.
*It’s good news for God’s people, Israel.
*It’s good news for the church of Jesus Christ, because the same God that is gathering Israel is gathering the church back to Himself, bringing us into our inheritance, healing our wounds, binding up our broken hearts.
There’s a ministry of the Holy Spirit today that’s something very special –
*it’s a ministry to the brokenhearted.
*It’s a ministry to those who are wounded in their hearts.
If you carry a wound inside you, turn to God, say, “God, this is a time of restoration; it’s a time of regathering.
*You are healing the brokenhearted.
*You are binding up their wounds.
Lord, You know that wound I’ve carried so long in my heart; will You heal me?”
And the invisible finger of God, the Holy Spirit, will reach down where no surgeon can reach and touch that wounded place in your life and bring you healing and restoration.
God has placed all His majesty, glory and power in one source: Christ.
Colossians 2:2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.
*His glory is not made known in smart and powerful men or through brilliant plans and ingenious strategies.
*His glory is found in a single source: Jesus.
If we want Christ’s glory in our lives and in our churches, it is not going to come through our strength or schemes.
*It is going to come by emptying ourselves out that He may fill us.
*As we go deeper in loving Him we become more like Him.
We must say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. (John 3:30).
Father, Forgive me for the many times I have been too busy to see the needs around me. Break my heart for those who are brokenhearted in pain and feel hopeless. Encourage them through me, Lord. Fill my heart with Your love so that I can give it away.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read–Romans 5:6-11
What do you think about when you see a depiction of Christ on the cross?
Most of us are overwhelmed by the physical and emotional suffering that He endured—the scourging, beating, thorns, nails, mocking, and shame. We are horrified at the cruelty of the Romans and the hard hearts of the Jewish rulers.
But during the crucifixion, far more was happening than the eye could see. God was carrying out His plan to rescue mankind, providing everything we need for salvation:
- Redemption. Jesus paid the full price of the debt we owed for transgression: death. His payment set us free from bondage to sin.
- Forgiveness. God could now release us from the punishment we deserved.
- Propitiation. Christ’s payment satisfied
the Father by fulfilling His demand for justice while letting Him forgive us.
- Justification. On the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice, the Lord now declares believers not guilty.
Although we will still sin in this earthly life, our standing before God is one of righteousness. This is a legal declaration that can never be reversed.
- Reconciliation. The sin barrier that separated us from the Father was removed by Christ’s death on our behalf. We’re now God’s children—we have open access to Him and fellowship with Him.
The crucifixion was the only way to rescue lost humanity. If there had been any other way, the cross would have been a ugly display of divine cruelty. But because so much was at stake, it can truly be called the greatest act of love by both the Father and the Son.
Thank You Jesus for the Cross which won total Victory over Satan. Help me to come to know You more and more Jesus so that Your love will fill me to overflowing and then give that same love to others in need. Amen
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Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Thy faithfulness, in Thy righteousness! And do not enter into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight no man living is righteous. For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground. Psalm 143:1–3
The psalmist there was struggling with a dark force that attacks almost every one of us at some time or another, the force of condemnation.
Each of us has an enemy, an accuser, one who seeks to make us feel guilty, unworthy, one who reminds us of our failures and our shortcomings and our unworthiness, and if we let him go on speaking to us he’ll crush our life down to the ground.
The answer is the answer that the psalmist found. He turned to God and he prayed. And he said, “Give ear to my supplications. Answer me in Thy faithfulness and in Thy righteousness.”
When we are facing condemnation (Guilt, separation from God, eternal punishment) and a sense of unworthiness, it is most important that we don’t listen to the enemy any longer; that we turn to God and that we appeal to God for help. “Speak to Him-“PRAY”!
Not on the basis of our righteousness or our faithfulness, but on the basis of God’s righteousness and God’s faithfulness.
*That is the way out from condemnation.
*That’s the way back into victory. (see 1 Jn 4:4)
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
Jesus was crucified, buried and rose on the third day that we might have eternal life.
*What could we possibly do in return for that?
“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Ro. 10:4).
This verse has brought freedom to all generations of believers:
Christ is the end. There is nothing else!
“So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16).
When you feel lost and all alone remember God loves you!
“This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.(1 Timothy 1:15-16)
Thank You Jesus, that You found me and extended Your Free Undeserved Grace to me. I no longer feel lost or alone! I have You Jesus, 24/7.Thank You for your word which is Truth and which is alive. Please help me share this Great News with all that will listen. Amen
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12 NIV).
If you were to ask people if they are going to Heaven or Hell, you’ll likely hear them say, “I hope I’ll go to Heaven.”
But hope just isn’t good enough. I pray that’s not your answer. Your eternal destiny is too important not to know for sure.
Only a fool would be unprepared for what we all know is inevitable: death. The most recent statistics show that mortality rates in the world are 100 percent!
You’re not guaranteed another minute on this planet, much less another hour. Don’t put off the most important choice you’ll ever make.
The Bible says in 1 John 5:11-12,“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (NIV).
That’s about as clear as you can get.
- If you have Jesus, you have life.
- If you don’t have Jesus, you do not have life.
- You have a choice.
You won’t go to Heaven because of someone else’s faith. You’ll never go to Hell because of someone else’s choice.
It’s your choice! You decide where you’ll spend eternity.
This is why Christmas and Easter are so important. If Jesus hadn’t come at Christmas and if he hadn’t died and come back to life on Easter, we’d be hopeless. Nothing we do would matter. You wouldn’t have this choice.
The cross is the answer to our deepest problem — our separation from God.
The Bible says, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross”(Colossians 2:13-14).
God nailed everything that separated you from himself to the cross. But God won’t force you to make the most important decision of your life. It’s in your hands.
It’s time to choose.
Lord, Help me to KNOW you more each and every day, because to know You is to have eternal life (JN 17:3). Amen
Read MoreWe are not responsible to change our negative feelings. Our responsibility is to put “in charge” the only Person who can change them, and that Person is God.
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”Psalm 37:5
Psalm 19:12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden(some trans say secret) faults. 13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
*Do you suffer with the sin of secret faults?
*Is there something in your life that is hidden from the eyes of man that is sin?
Romans 1:18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
*Are you living a life of falsehood?
*Do others think that you are something that you are not behind closed doors?
If so—it’s time for a “session of confession” and repentance, it’s time to seek the Lord and ask Him to cleanse you from your secret faults.
Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
You see your “secret faults” are not so secret. Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the Father.
Nothing is secret to the Father.
Confess any secret faults/sins you have to the Lord and turn away from them, ask Him to take the desire for them away from you and tell Him you don’t want to do anything that does not please Him (and mean it).
Ask Him to cleanse you from those secret faults and He most assuredly will.
Psalms 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Father today I bring all of my faults before you, I confess each and every one of them. I bring my secrets faults before you Lord and I ask that you would cleanse me from these secret faults Lord. Amen
I believe we can know our true spiritual state by how troubled we become ove our slightest sin against our Lord.
Some Christians only grieve over what they consider the “big sins”—adultery, drug abuse, drinking, cursing.
But the truly spiritual person knows that NO sin is small in God’s sight and so he grieves every time he gossips, tells a dirty joke or has a lingering evil thought.
We know these things spring from our heart, the very center of our being.
You can disobey God in such “small things,” excusing yourself and forgetting all about them.
**But if you do, you will never mature in Christ.
Your righteousness(moral orderliness) is measured by your unwillingness to accept anything that grieves your blessed Savior.
In each moment we sin, the enemy whispers to us, “That little slip-up was no big deal. It was such a small thing.”
**But the Holy Spirit must immediately rise up in my heart to refute the devil’s voice.
Be reassured, the very fact you’re grieving over a sin is proof Jesus is at work in you.
*The more you grieve over even the smallest transgression against His love, the closer you get to victory.
God sent His Spirit to us to wage war against our flesh and its desires and lusts.
So, if you aren’t troubled when you fail—if you are able to shake off your sin with no sense of guilt, sorrow or regret—then the Holy Spirit is not in you doing warfare.
“ yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:9,10).
If you are being convicted by even the lightest transgression, you are close to true victory. He is winning the battle in your heart by producing a godly sorrow that leads to true repentance.
Lord, Thank you that my sorrows have led me to repentance and have taken the walls down so that we could have a more personal relationship. Amen
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