We may not have murdered anyone or robbed a bank, but what about the subtle areas of sinfulness, such as anger, pride, selfishness, unbelief, greed, envy, lust, and impatience? If we don’t confess these to God and ask him to help us on our road to repentance, we’ll be severely handicapped in our mission to get closer to God.
We have been acquitted of our sins and justified before God through the blood of his Son, but as Paul explains in Romans,
“Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1 & 2)
I don’t think we’re trapped to stay in a broken state of continual sin or resign ourselves to live a life of a hopeless sinner. We will never be sinless, but with God’s help we can sin LESS.
We are told to avoid every form of evil, but if we invite violence and immorality and profanity into our homes through our TVs, phones and computers, the continuous consumption of a secular worldview will influence us and shape our values over time.
Repentance is resolving to change our behavior. It must follow confession. I don’t think God is pleased with continual confession of the same sin committed over and over again. That’s an abuse of his grace. Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery. But he did say, “From now on sin no more.”
The sins of omission are not as obvious as the sins of commission. We may not harm others, but we might ignore them and remain indifferent to their plight. Instead, we should help the helpless, like giving babies the chance to be born.
Paul told the Galatian church to:
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
A close walk with Christ is the best way to overcome sin in our lives. It makes it less attractive since we are motivated to please him and he empowers us to obey him once we make a move in his direction.
How have you seen the Lord help you make a positive change in your life?
Dwell in His secret place 