Love Drives Out Fear

In 1 John 3:8 I read, “Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil's ways.” (The Message)

Jesus defeated death, and that means he also defeated Satan. In fact, that’s why he came to Earth. The Bible says, “The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil’s ways” (1 John 3:8 The Message).

The Devil’s work is to mess with my mind. He fills it with worry, guilt, resentment, anger, fear, and confusion. He whispers in my ear that I’m worthless, helpless, hopeless, and aimless. Satan uses these thoughts and emotions to keep me enslaved.

The biggest tool Satan uses to mess with my life is fear. The Bible clearly says that fear doesn’t come from God: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV). The Bible also says, “God is love” (1 John 4:16 NIV). So when I’m afraid, that’s not from God—because there is no fear in love, and God is love.

Jesus defeated death; he destroyed the Devil’s work. And so, when I as a Christian grieve a death, I grieve with hope.

I grieve because I miss those I’ve lost. I grieve, but I know that if they believed in Jesus, I will see them again in heaven. They are waiting there in that place where we all were designed to go in the first place.

In Hebrews 2:14-15, the Bible says, “Since all of these sons and daughters have flesh and blood, Jesus took on flesh and blood to be like them. He did this so that by dying he would destroy the one who had power over death (that is, the devil). In this way he would free those who were slaves all their lives because they were afraid of dying” (GW).

So whenever I feel fear creeping into my heart—whether it’s the fear of death or another fear—remember that fear isn’t from God. Then ask God to drive out that fear with his perfect love.

In summary, those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil's ways. Jesus defeated death, and that means he also defeated Satan. That’s why he came. The Devil’s work is to mess with my mind. He fills it with worry, guilt, resentment, anger, fear, and confusion. He whispers that I’m worthless, helpless, hopeless, and aimless. Satan uses these thoughts and emotions to keep me enslaved. The biggest tool Satan uses to mess with my life is fear. Fear doesn’t come from God. When I’m afraid, that’s not from God, because there is no fear in love, and God is love. When I as a Christian grieve a death, I grieve with hope. I grieve because I miss those I’ve lost, but I know that if they believed in Jesus, I will see them again in heaven. So whenever I feel fear creeping into my heart, whether it’s the fear of death or another fear, remember that fear isn’t from God. Then ask God to drive out that fear with his perfect love.

I have areas where temptation is strong and habits are hard to conquer. It's these weaknesses that give the devil a foothold, so I must deal with my areas of vulnerability. There are three steps I need to find victory over prevailing sin: 1). See the power of the Holy Spirit and God's Word; 2). Stay away from tempting situations; and 3). seek the help of the body of Christ and be open to their willingness to hold me accountable and pray for me.

Father, thank you for this reminder today. I ask that with the help of the Holy Spirit in my life that I can put into practice these ways of finding victory over sin. Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today. I ask you also for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my training for a future job role and learning a small group. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.

 

My Biggest Problem, and What to Do About It

In Isaiah 59:2 I read, “It is your evil that has separated you from your God. Your sins cause him to turn away from you, so he does not hear you.” (NCV)

Today, most cultures don’t think sin is ugly. In fact, many people think sin is fun! Consider the media. TV shows, social media memes, and movies use sin for humor.

This is Satan’s strategy: to get us to laugh at the same things that put Jesus on the cross. Satan disguises sin to make it look attractive, desirable, and fun. Rarely in the media do we see the consequences of sin.

To know how ugly sin really is and the damage it does, look at Jesus bleeding on the cross. Jesus’ suffering shows me just how much it takes to pay for my sins. The cross shows the damage sin does.

Sin has all sorts of consequences in my life! Here are just a few of them. 

Sin alienates me from God. Why? Because God is holy, and I am not. Sin creates conflict and puts distance between me and God. Isaiah 59:2 says, “It is your evil that has separated you from your God. Your sins cause him to turn away from you, so he does not hear you” (NCV). Sin always leaves estrangement in its wake, even between me and God.

Sin causes enormous amounts of stress in my life. One of the greatest sources of stress is unrecognized and unresolved guilt. King David said, “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear” (Psalm 38:4 NIV). Holding on to sin takes an emotional toll. When I break God’s laws, it leads to worry, fear, guilt, and insecurity. I wouldn’t experience this if I always did things God’s way. But I don’t, and I can’t. This is the reality of sin.

Sin condemns me. When I violate God’s laws, there’s always a penalty, in both self-condemnation and judgment from a righteous God. Psalm 7:11 says, “God is a righteous judge and always condemns the wicked” (GNT).

I may think my biggest problem is a relationship conflict, health issue, or trouble finding a job. But the reality is, my biggest problem is that I’m at war with God.

That’s why I get frustrated! That’s why I don’t sleep well. That’s why I’m stressed out. I wasn’t made to live out of harmony with my Creator, who loves you. He made me, and he sent his Son to die for me. He wants me to be in harmony with him.

Repent of my sin today, and every day, so that I can be at peace with God.

In summary, my evil separates me from God. My sins cause him to turn away and not hear me. Most don’t think sin is ugly. In fact, they think it's fun! Consider the media, it uses sin for humor. This is Satan’s strategy: to get me to laugh at the same things that put Jesus on the cross. Satan disguises sin to make it look attractive, desirable, and fun. Rarely in the media do I see the consequences of sin. To know how ugly sin really is and the damage it does, look at Jesus bleeding on the cross. Jesus’ suffering shows me just how much it takes to pay for my sins. Sin has all sorts of consequences in my life! Sin alienates me from God. Because God is holy, and I am not. Sin creates conflict and puts distance between me and God. Sin always leaves estrangement in its wake, even between me and God. Sin causes enormous amounts of stress in my life. One of the greatest sources of stress is unrecognized and unresolved guilt. Holding on to sin takes an emotional toll. When I break God’s laws, it leads to worry, fear, guilt, and insecurity. I wouldn’t experience this if I always did things God’s way. Sin condemns me. When I violate God’s laws, there’s always a penalty, in both self-condemnation and judgment from a righteous God. My biggest problem is that I’m at war with God. That’s why I get frustrated, don’t sleep well and become stressed out. I wasn’t made to live out of harmony with my Creator, who loves me. He made me, and he sent his Son to die for me. He wants me to be in harmony with him. Repent of my sin today, and every day, so that I can be at peace with God.

Sin cuts me off from God. It forms a wall isolating him from me. God wants me to live with him forever, but he cannot take me into his holy presence unless my sin is removed. I need to confess daily my sin to God and allow him to remove it.

Father, thank you for this reminder and I ask that with the help of the Holy Spirit in my life that I can confess my sins daily to you and keep a wall from forming. I also ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my training for a future job role and learning a small group. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.

 

God Can Restore Me After I Sin

In Jeremiah 15:19 I read, “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me.” (NLT)

When I became a believer in Christ, I was born again into God’s family, and I cannot be unborn. Although my fellowship with God can be damaged by sin, the relationship is still there. I’m only one step away from returning.

So, what should I do when I sin? One word: Return! Come back to Christ. It’s that simple.

Isaiah 1:18 says, “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow” (TLB).

On the night Jesus was arrested, his disciple Peter denied knowing and following Jesus three times. If ever there were a sin you’d think was unforgivable, it would be that! But Jesus knew Peter would deny him, and he knew Peter would come back to him. In fact, before it even happened, Jesus said to Peter in the Upper Room, “I have pleaded in prayer for you that your faith should not completely fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up the faith of your brothers” (Luke 22:32 TLB).

Jesus knew Peter’s ministry would be more effective after his denial than it was before. And, sure enough, it was! Peter wrote the two books of the Bible that we call 1 Peter and 2 Peter. Then he shared his memoirs with a relative, and that’s the gospel of Mark.

I may think God has forgotten me, but he hasn’t. The Good Shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to go after the one. He knows how I’ve fallen away. Maybe it happened in one giant step, or perhaps it was a series of small, tiny steps. Whatever it was, I’m not as close to Christ as I used to be.

I need to pray what David prayed when he came back to God after committing adultery. He said, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12 NLT). David did not have to pray, “God, restore to me my salvation,” because he hadn’t lost his salvation. He had lost the joy.

Come home to Christ today and restore the joy.

In summary, God tells me that If I return to him, he will restore me so I can continue to serve him. When I became a believer in Christ, I was born again into God’s family, and I cannot be unborn. Although my fellowship with God can be damaged by sin, the relationship is still there. I’m only one step away from returning. So, return, and Come back to Christ. It’s that simple. I may think God has forgotten me, but he hasn’t. The Good Shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to go after the one. He knows how I’ve fallen away and not as close to Christ as I used to be. Pray what David prayed when he came back to God, He said, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” He didn’t pray because he hadn’t lost his salvation. Rather he prayed that he had lost the joy. I can come home to Christ and restore the joy.

I can restore my job by returning to him. Sin puts up a boundary to a close relationship with God. I need to confess and restore my relationship and joy. God will help to rearrange my priorities. I am to influence others and not be influenced by them. In prayer I can reveal my deepest thoughts to God. God expects me to trust him, no matter what. I am here to influence others for God. Father, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my future job role and to be able to lead a new study / small group. I want to return to joy from the salvation you have provided me and to do what it is you have planned for me. These things I pray in your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

My Sin Is Never Private

In Romans 14:7 I read, “None of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.” (NIV)

Sin may be secret, but it’s never private. It will either come out now, here on earth, or at Judgment Day, but it’s going to be known.

Numbers 32:23 is one of the scariest verses in the Bible: “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (NIV).

Another reason why sin is never private is because everything I do, good or bad, affects others, even if they don’t know what’s going on.

If someone close to me stayed up all night doing some really immoral things and then saw me in the morning, I would notice something was off. I might not know what happened, but the result of their sin would be obvious in the way they behaved. Very few people could act as if nothing happened.

It doesn’t even have to be some big sin you commit. It could be the sin of omission. If I have a regular quiet time with God and then go a few days without spending time in God’s presence, there’s probably going to be a difference in how I react to people and circumstances. That’s because when I’m not plugged in, I don’t have spiritual power to fight sin.

The Bible says in Romans 14:7, “None of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone” (NIV).

A lot of people will say, “What I do with my life is no one else’s business. As long as I’m not hurting anybody, why should anyone else care?” But I am hurting others. God made me to be connected to people, and what I do and say always has an effect on others.

Sin affects me in ways I don’t even realize, and then my actions affect others. When I sin, it cuts me off from God’s power and keeps me from my potential. It limits the good I can do and the impact I could have.

Isn’t it sad to think of what myself and others are missing when I’m not at my God-given best? There is only one way to move past the sin that holds me back and hurts others: Confess it.

In summary, I do not live or die for myself only. Sin in my life may be secret, but it will never be private. It will either come out now, or at Judgment Day, but it will be known. Everything I do, good or bad, affects others, even if they don’t know what’s going on. It doesn’t even have to be some big sin. If I go several days without my quiet time, there will be a difference in how I react to people and circumstances. When I’m not plugged in, I won’t have spiritual power to fight sin. Also a lot think and say, “What I do with my life is no one else’s business. As long as I’m not hurting anybody, why should anyone else care?” But it will hurt others. God made me to be connected to people, and what I do and say always has an effect on others. Sin affects me in ways I don’t even realize and my affect others. Sin cuts me off from God’s power and keeps me from my potential. It limits the good I can do and the impact I could have. There is only one way to move past the sin that holds me back and hurts others: Confess it.

I have experienced times when I have missed my weekday quiet times and can see where my day didn’t go well and I didn’t treat others right. I can see where unconfessed sin can affect my closeness with God and make me react differently. I pray Father that I can bring to mind anything that is unconfessed sin so that I may ask for forgiveness. With the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to be consistent in my times with you, as it does make a difference in how I interact with others. I ask you today for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. I thank you for the healing I have received. I will put my trust in you for my future. I pray these things in your Son Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Facing the Truth

In review of 1 John 1:8 this morning, it says  “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (NIV)

All, including myself, are sinners by nature and by practice. When I accepted Christ and God's free gift of salvation, all of my sins; past, present, and future were forgiven. Yet I still sin and still need to confess. This kind of confession is not offered to gain God's acceptance but to remove the barrier to fellowship that my sin has put between myself and God. It is difficult to admit my faults and shortcomings. It takes humility and honesty to recognize my weakness, especially when I'd rather pretend that I am strong. But, as I'm learning, I do not need to fear revealing my sins to God, he already knows them. He will not push me away, no matter what I've done. Instead, he will draw me closer to himself.

Sin always involves self-deception. At the moment I’m sinning, I’m deceiving myself because I think that what I’m doing will actually produce better results than what God has already told me to do.

To stop defeating myself, I must stop deceiving myself. I need to take an honest look at my life, face the truth, and deal with the issues. What in my life am I pretending isn’t a problem or I’m not addicted to? What am I saying “It’s no big deal” about?

I will not get healing until I first acknowledge the root of my problem. I don’t have to hit rock bottom before I really change. I don’t have to go the way of destruction. I can admit the root of the issue and then deal with it.

When asked, “What’s the biggest problem you encounter?” church counselors will say over and over, “People wait too long before they ask for help. Then it’s almost impossible to turn around.” Most are in denial about the problem, wait until it’s too late, and then go through unnecessary pain.

The Bible says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8 NIV).

What are the hard questions I need to be asking about the sin in my life? What are the warning signs I’ve been ignoring?

If I want healing, I need to acknowledge the root of my problem and face the truth about myself. This is never the easy choice, but it’s always the right one.

God is working for me. With his power, I can overcome anything.

In summary if I claim to be without sin, I'm only deceiving myself and the truth is not in me. I am a sinner by nature and practice. When I accepted Christ into my life, all of my sins, past, present and future were forgiven. Yet I still sin and still need to confess. It's a confession offered not to gain God's acceptance but rather to remove the barrier to fellowship that my sin puts between us. It's difficult to admit my faults and shortcomings. It takes humility and honesty to recognize my weakness, especially when I'd rather pretend that I'm strong. There should be no fear on my part to reveal my sins to God, he already knows. Sin will always involve self-deception. I'm deceiving myself because I think that what I'm doing will actually produce better results than what God has already told me to do. To stop defeating myself, I need to stop deceiving myself and take an honest look, face the truth and deal with the issues. Healing will not come until I first acknowledge the root of my problem. With his power, I can overcome anything.

Father, this morning you have brought to mind several things. First I do sin and need to confess it to you to keep any barriers from having a full relationship with you. Secondly I’m not always humble about my weaknesses. I do like to pretend that I like to think that I am strong and not need anyone's help. Today Father I confess that I deceive myself thinking that what I’m doing will actually produce better results than what you have already told me to do. I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. Also help me work with my team to continue to make progress on resolving outstanding vulnerabilities. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, Amen.