LIVE FOR HIM NOT THE SIN

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

They both were a little confused.  No question that both were good folks; both believers in the most solid of senses.  No one could or would dare to question their desire to be Christians.  There was no question that they loved the Lord.

But each was feeling guilty.

Some pesky sin was troubling each of them.

The Holy Spirit was pulling at them, but unfortunately the enemy was doing his best to drown out the Spirit’s healthy conviction with his orchestra of clanging guilt.

But the good news is as we were sitting there and having some coffee we started to follow GOD’s plan for dealing with pesky sins.

We were giving it to GOD.

1 John 1:9

But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.

We were sharing it with one another. (I even had the chance to air some of my “less than fresh” laundry).

James 5:16

Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

And then with our 6 hands we grabbed hold of GOD’s AMAZING grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9

9 But he (Christ) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

But we didn’t stop there.

No, we then we put some skin in the game.  We remembered and listened to the words of Jesus and committed to one another to do our best to “sin no more”.

Whether it was a woman at a well, a cripple by a pool, an adulteress embarrassed in the square, or 3 folks at a coffee shop, Jesus offered the same solution; forgiveness and then a clear instruction to stop sinning.  Or in other words, Jesus reminded them and us that HE just took care of the SIN, now it was our time to START living for HIM and not the sin.

We all are given the wonderful promise of grace from the moment our eyes open until they close each day. 

It is sufficient.

But the enemy wants you think otherwise.  He wants you to stifle your talent because of that sin.  He wants to condemn and defeat you with comparisons to others. He wants to snuff out truth.  He wants to darken your light.

Don’t let him.

Instead embrace what GOD says in Romans 8:1 about you who are in Christ...

So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus.

…and grab the grace and do your best to SIN NO MORE!

Confession that leads to change is the desire of GOD.  It is more than saying you are sorry.  Instead the Bible makes it clear that grace is the opportunity to give the challenge to Jesus, allow Him to cleanse it and take the opportunity to begin again.

My friends and I closed the session(s) in prayer. We asked GOD to help us grab this GRACE.  And we thanked Him for the promise and provision that HE has brokered to us!

Hebrews 8:12

I will be merciful to them in their wrongdoings, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Yet I know we are not alone.

Perhaps there is a pesky sin that is holding you down, keeping GOD’s blessings for you at bay.  Give it GOD.  Find a friend to open up to about it.  Get it into the light.

GRAB the grace.

“Trust God's Grace by receiving forgiveness. Forgive yourself. See yourself as God's dear child who He's remodeling daily. Let Grace overpower your past and create in you a clean conscience.                                      Max Lucado

And LIVE FOR HIM and not the sin...

 

I love you all!

Have a great weekend…

Freedom Church

 

Pastor GDelaney