Here are some helpful observations on ‘walking in the light’. 1) Sin is God’s enemy, and yours. Jesus said, ‘There is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy’ (Luke 11:23 MSG). Neutrality and passivity aren’t options; you must treat sin like the enemy it is. 2) Be honest with yourself and God. Don’t excuse your sin as a ‘condition’ or
‘tendency’. You didn’t just make a bad judgement - you sinned. You may have had a troubled past, but today you have choices! 3) Don’t indulge in beating yourself up. You’re not supposed to wallow in condemnation before acknowledging your sin. Making yourself miserable doesn’t signify that you deserve forgiveness. That comes by grace, through faith alone. Every second spent in self-condemnation is time stolen from you by Satan. The moment that brings the acknowledgment of sin also brings the cleansing of sin. 4) If you repeat the sin, repeat the confession. ‘Won’t God get tired of me coming to Him?’ you ask. No. God accepted Jesus as a substitute for all your sins for all time, so He will never reject you. Isaiah told God’s people, ‘Return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy…and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon’ (Isaiah 55:7 KJV). Above all, be patient with yourself. Give the Holy Spirit time to develop in you the strength needed to transcend your old nature and overcome your old sinful habits, and be assured it will happen (see Philippians 1:6). |
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