1-2-3

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)

The 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 and his cacophony of shame.

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.

1.    We “let GOD in on them”.

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

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.

2.   We “let each other in on them”

James 5:16 (ESV)

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

3.   We “let grace do the rest”. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

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 offers the same solution; forgiveness and then a clear instruction to stop sinning.  Or in other words, Jesus reminded them and us that HE took care of the SIN, now it was our time to START living for HIM and not the sin.

And 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.  He wants to smother you in shame.

Don’t let him.

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

…there is now NO CONDEMNATION awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus…grab that grace and do your best to SIN NO MORE…

Remembering…

(GOD) will be merciful to them in their wrongdoings, and I will remember their sins no more. – Hebrews 8:12 (ESV)

“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

I love you all!

Have a great weekend…

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE

 

Pastor GDelaney