DEAR CHRISTIAN:

HAVE YOU EVER SINNED AND FAILED GOD?

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Isaiah 5:21

The Bible tells us plainly that ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God yet we are also commanded by The LORD Jesus to be perfect as HE is perfect.  It MUST be our daily goal to live perfect before our God and Eternal Savior The LORD Jesus Christ.

Have you ever experienced times when you have come face-to-face with your own sin and failing to be perfect before God?  What are you to do when this happens? 

While it is noteworthy to remember that no one's flesh gets saved and reborn at the time of salvation.  There is NOTHING good in the flesh....nor will there ever be anything good in the flesh!!!  One must, as The LORD Jesus told us to do, place the flesh to death.  This does not mean by suicide, etc.  It means putting to death the evils that are inherent in every person that breathes their first breath on earth. 

Do you have to teach a toddler to lie?  Do you have to teach him to steal cookies out of the cookie jar when he has been told not to do so?  Do you have to teach him to say and do mean and cruel things to hurt people?  The list seems endless of the fleshly evil traits that we all enter this world with.  On the other hand, can you teach a toddler NOT to lie?  Or NOT steal cookies?,  Or NOT say and do mean and cruel things to hurt people?, etc.?  NO!!!  You can teach him these things are wrong and while he may not do these things, you cannot take away his secret desires to do those things.  So it is with God's true children.  The ONLY way we experience a change of the heart is through The Holy Ghost being present within us to guide us and teach us and convict us and warn us, etc.  He ALONE is Holy.  He is God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Ghost. 

To sin, we must willfully put aside our Savior in order to satisfy the desire of our flesh..... whether that is to fornicate, adulterate, view porno and ungodly things, read ungodly literature (see partial list of these on the homepage), listen to filthy songs on the radio, watch ungodly television programs or movies, fail to forgive, envy, be spiteful and full of wrath, hate, be violent, do drugs, drink alcohol, be disobedient or disrespectful to parents, abuse others (or ourselves), curse, steal, lie, be selfish, be prideful, be boastful, be vindictive, covetous, crave money, hold back The LORD Jesus' money from Him, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.. etc.  THIS IS SIN......PERIOD.

WE MUST BE AWARE OF OUR EFFORTS TO JUSTIFY OUR SINS!!!

It is not uncommon at all for a Christian to run (and run hard) from facing the fact that they have sinned against The Almighty God and LORD Jesus Christ.  Denying our sin and the depravity of our sin is one of the first efforts we naturally put forth in trying to justify our sin.  We then take hold of the old phrase "the devil made me do it" or even go so far as to say that the devil DID do it (especially when we have lost something due to the wage of our sin).  We try to find Scripture to back up our claims of innocency.....even trying to justify ourselves before a Holy God by quoting the Scripture that says "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"!!! 

Humbling before God in true repentance is also severely hindered when we are full of spiritual pride (which God HATES!)...... ever convincing ourselves that somehow we are "close buddies" with God..... ever convincing ourselves that somehow we are the favored ones that He would NEVER chastise and punish severely..... ever convincing ourselves that He will "understand" our sins yet punish others for theirs..... ever convincing ourselves that the wages suffered for our sins are truly events put upon us by satan himself.  We run to try to find ANY excuse that will justify our sins not only to God but also to ourselves.  We hold tightly to our "holier-than-thou" and "better-than-thou" false-faces..... determined not to see (nor be seen by God and others) for what we truly are.  

One of the best things God ever does for us in our Christian life is when He, in His mercy and grace and love for us, pulls our false-faces off!!!  Without our false-faces, we are allowed, by the mercy of God, to see the ungodly, sinful wretch that we truly are.  We are allowed, by His mercy and grace, to see ourselves (and our sin) as HE sees it.  The sight is a horror-filled sight indeed!!! 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE UNCONFESSED SIN IN OUR LIVES? 

They cause death (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 33:8-13; Romans 8:12-13).

They hinder prayers (Psalm 66:18).

They provoke God to anger (I Kings 16:2).

They weary God (Isaiah 43:24).

They separate from God (Isaiah 59:2).

They testify against us (Isaiah 59:12; Jeremiah 14:7).

They cause God to remember them (Psalm 25:7).

They expose guilt (Psalm 69:5).

They cause God to visit (Hosea 8:13; Hosea 9:9).

They us load down (II Tim. 3:6, Hebrews 12:1).

They cause us to pine away (Ezekiel 33:10; Leviticus 26:39).

They cause us to be consumed (Isaiah 64:7; Ezekiel 4:17).

They take men away (Isaiah 64:6).

They bring punishment (Amos 3:2).

They damn the soul (II Thes. 2:12; Matthew 16:16).

They cause one to be of Satan (1 John 3:8).

They cause hardening of heart (Hebrews 3:13).

They make servants of sin (Romans 6:7-23; John 8:34).

They bring reproach (Proverbs 14:34).

They cause national judgment (Amos 1:3,6,9,11,13; Amos 2:1,4,6).

They cause disease (Deut. 28; Ps.103:3; Mark 2:9; James 5:16).

 They cause many troubles and calamities in life (Job; Deut. 28; Proverbs 1:27-31).

WHAT MUST WE DO IF WE SIN?

If we as true Christians sin, there is going to be a grieving as though a death has occured.  There is going to be true sorrow over the sin.  There is going to be a sick feeling in the stomach that we cannot forget nor run from.  No pill or alcohic beverage can drown it, either.  This is called conviction of sin by The Holy Ghost of God Almighty Jesus Christ Himself.  We are to repent.......TRULY repent.  None of this "I'm sorry, LORD" bit will do it!!!   There must be godly sorrow that indeed leads us to repentance.  Nothing short of that will cut it before God.  In His Mercy, He does forgive us....and that is ONLY because of The LORD Jesus and His Sacrifice on Calvary of Himself for our sins!!! 

As we are begging God to forgive us for our sins, we must also think on those who have transgressed against us and forgive them in the exact same manner that we are wanting God to graciously and mercifully forgive us of our sins.  The LORD Jesus has made it very clear to us in His Word that if we don't forgive others their sins against us, we won't be forgiven by God for our sins against Him.  If we indeed are truly sorrowful and our hearts broken for our sins before God and so desire with all of our hearts that He will forgive us and never hold our sins against us, it makes forgiving others a lot easier.  It is something we HAVE to do.  PERIOD.  The LORD Jesus told us this!!!  We MUST obey Him!!!  We are not given a choice in the matter.  Jesus is Life.  Unforgiveness is death.  Life or death....we must choose Life.  God will NOT allow us to enter Heaven with unforgiven sins due to our failure to forgive others.  Is a grudge against another human being worth grieving God's Holy Spirit and forfeiting our own forgiveness and our place in God's Heaven???  As we can see, this matter of forgiveness of others is a very, very, very serious matter!!!  We also, as situations allow, must tell others we are sorry for what we have done against them if we have sinned against them.  If they forgive us, they do.  If they don't forgive us, they don't.  Their lack of forgiveness towards us does NOT mean that GOD has not forgiven us.  We must run on ahead in God's forgiveness. The LORD Jesus lived, died, and rose again in order that we might have God's forgiveness. 

HOW WILL GOD RESPOND TO OUR PLEAS FOR FORGIVENESS?

We must come before The LORD Jesus as crushed flowers in our grief over our sins.  As crushed flowers before God through our Advocate, The LORD God Almighty Jesus Christ, we receive God's forgiveness and it is as though He breathes into us His Life and His joy again.  He may let us go through the consequences for our sins (for the wages of sin is death as The Bible tells us) but He will be with us all of the way. 

Never forget that perfume is made from crushed flowers.  If indeed you have sinned and are crushed as a flower before God in true repentance, God will indeed enjoy the fragrance of such a broken and contrite spirit. 

To speak about one's sin (except only on occasion for a testimony to help someone) is wrong.  It only serves to glorify satan and places mental images before the minds of others of ungodly deeds.  It is to be spoken of ONLY as The LORD God leads us in witnessing to others.  Even then, sordid details are not necessary...... for if we are TRULY broken and TRULY sorrowful and repentant about those sins, we truly do not want to even think of them or speak of them without The LORD Jesus' leading us to do so in order to testify of His Grace and Mercy to us, to warn others, etc.

Let us ALWAYS be thankful to God for the convicting power of The Holy Ghost.  THANK YOU, LORD JESUS!!!

GOD FORGIVES US OUT OF HIS MERCY.  MERCY IS UNDESERVED.  NEVER EVER FORGET THAT!!!  WE DESERVE NOTHING FROM GOD!!!  WE WOULD HAVE NOTHING FROM GOD HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD JESUS!!!  WE MUST NEVER EVER FORGET THAT!!!  NEVER!!!

WHAT HAPPENS AS A RESULT OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS TO US FOR OUR SINS THROUGH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?

They are blotted out (Isaiah 44:22; Acts 3:19).

They are forgiven (Exodus 34:7; I John 1:9; I John 2:12).

They are remitted (Matthew 26:28; Mark 1:4).

They are made white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).

They are made as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

They are cast behind God's back (Isaiah 38:17).

They are forgotten (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:17).

They are purged away (Psalm 79:9; Hebrews 1:3).

They are covered (Psalm 32:1; Romans 4:7).

They are put away (II Samuel 12:13; Hebrews 9:22).

They are removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

They are cast into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

They are washed away (Rev. 1:5).

They are taken away (I John 3:5).

They are put off (Col. 2:11).

One is saved from them (Matthew 1:21).

One is freed from them (Romans 6:7,16-23; Romans 8:2).

One is cleansed from them (I John 1:7,9).

One becomes dead to them (Col. 2:13; I Peter 2:24).

One is quickened from death in them (Ephes. 2:1-10; Col. 2:13).

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After forgiveness, crawl up into our Father's arms and receive His love and tender spiritual caresses.  Give Him the thanks and love and glory and honour that He is due for forgiving you for your sin.  

The LORD God Almighty Jesus Christ is your Father. 

You are His child. 

ENJOY!!!

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 Living Hope In Jesus