A Nugget from New Life Network
(excerpts from Bob Gass Ministries)
Scripture for the Day (October 13, 2016)
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
Have you ever been frustrated with your personal walk with the Lord? By that I mean there are just some things in your life that are not perfect. On the outside you may look holy but you know that there are some personal imperfections and sins that you have not been able to overcome. You also are fully aware that the enemy constantly jumps on your case about these sins. Well, welcome to the club. You are not alone! None of us are perfect. But, thank God for Jesus who has made a way for all of us to walk in the light with Him.
Here are some helpful observations on “walking in the light.”
(1) Sin is God’s enemy, and yours. Jesus said there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on His side, you’re on the side of the enemy (Luke 11: 23). Neutrality and passivity aren’t options; you must treat sin like the enemy it is.
(2) Be honest with yourself and God. Don’t excuse your sin as a “condition” or “tendency.” You didn’t just make a bad judgment–you sinned. You may have had a troubled past, but today you have choices!
(3) Don’t indulge in beating yourself up. You’re not supposed to wallow in condemnation before acknowledging your sin. Making yourself miserable doesn’t signify that you deserve forgiveness. That comes by grace, through faith alone. Every second spent in self-condemnation is time stolen from you by Satan. The moment that brings the acknowledgment of sin to God also brings the cleansing of sin.
(4) If you repeat the sin, repeat the confession. “Won’t God get tired of me coming to Him” you ask? No. God accepted Jesus as a substitute for all your sins for all time, so He will never reject you. Isaiah told God’s people, “Return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy…and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).
(5) Above all, be patient with yourself. Give the Holy Spirit time to develop in you the strength needed to transcend your old nature and overcome your old sinful habits, and be assured it will happen.
And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. (Philippians 1:6, AMPC)
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (Jude 24)
