I often hear ridiculous stances from those who have not yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior and His importance in our lives as I’m sure you have heard them too, or maybe even made those statements yourselves. I was once guilty as well. Although I have had a close relationship with God as far as I can remember, it never got deeper than asking Him for favors whenever I’m in a bind. I have made the same justifications that I can never be a perfect person because I commit sins pretty much daily. The problem with sin is that it has no size. A sin is a sin, whether you lied or killed someone. The consequences vary but every sin is a rebellion against God.
I also hear people say, “Well, I might as well not ask God to forgive me because I will sin again and just be a disappointment. Besides, I have committed so many sins in my past and it keeps coming up and making me feel inadequate.” Here is a perfect statement as to why people just give up on God. They sin, because they don’t understand their level of human-ness. The devil puts lies in our heads and when he does, not only does he encourage us to sin again and turn away from God, he also dredges up all the past sins we’ve been forgiven and cleansed for. When we are tempted by the devil to sin, he prods us to go ahead and follow through, telling us it is within our right and our will to do it. Then once the sin has been committed, he throws accusations at us and tells us we are nothing, we are unworthy and God will punish us for it.
We need to distinguish the difference between the devil’s accusations and the Holy Spirit’s convictions. The Holy Spirit will never convict us for sins that have been thrown by God in the sea of forgetfulness after he has forgiven and cleansed us of them. The Holy Spirit’s way is to snap you into realization immediately as soon as you commit the sin. He will convict you of the specific sin, such as hey, you just lied about that. Then He convicts you redemptively, meaning after confession and forgiveness, He will redeem you. All of these things happen in accordance to the cleansing of your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for the world which means there is no limited atonement!
A spirit-filled and victorious life doesn’t mean we are free from failure, pain, sin, etc., we all sin but we learn the truce and get in a higher plane, we get right with God, we are walking in the light, the minute we sin, the Holy Spirit says you did wrong, and that moment we confess our sins so we can stay on the higher plane. This is our conquest. Staying up there with God while we live with our sinful human nature.
Similarly, you shouldn’t be light and cavalier about your sins. When He lives in us the love of God is perfected. A slave serves because he has to. An employee serves because he needs to, a child of God serves because he wants to. There is the LOVE of God that He will save me to begin with, cleanses me, do you think that will encourage me to sin? NO the desire of my heart is never to sin again. NEVER. But if I do thank God I have an advocate which is just a fancy word for a lawyer, pleading our case to God.
How sweet it is to be loved by our Jesus, isn’t it?
Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
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