Deliberate Sin

 “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left. . .” Hebrews 10:26 (NIV)

    It was one of those moments that, years later, still makes me shake my head. Noah and Lola, both 4 years old, were having a heavy conversation over a lunch of mac ‘n cheese and chocolate milk.

   “Noah, when I’m 10, I’m going to see an R-rated movie,” Lola informed him. Noah immediately answered. “Lola, you can’t see an R-rated movie. If you do you will go to “hail.” But she shook her head “Yes I CAN see an R-rated movie. I won’t go to “hail” if I do.” Noah totally disagreed. “Yes, you will, Lola. You will go straight to “hail” if you see one.”

   The conversation went back and forth for several minutes. Finally, Lola sighed and held up both her hands. “Okay, fine. I’ll go see an R-rated movie and then after it’s over, I’ll ask God to forgive me.” Mercy.

   Obviously, at 4 years of age, Lola had no concept of Hebrews 10:26 but evidently she had heard a conversation somewhere about doing something you know you should not be doing and THEN asking God to forgive you.

   So what does it mean to “deliberately keep on sinning”? I believe it comes down to this: knowing the clear commands of Scripture but choosing to ignore them and do what we want to do instead. Not confessing but continuing our sin; not battling against it but willingly surrendering to it day after day.

   For example, do we focus on loving money to the point that every day is filled with how to obtain more and more wealth? We are told in I Timothy 6:10 that the love of money only leads to all kinds of evil. We know that and yet we continue holding it up as our god. “But we all need money to live!” we declare as we try to justify our sin.

   Or perhaps we are in a sexual relationship outside of our marriage. We know that we are clearly warned in I Corinthians 6:18 to run from sexual immorality and yet we ignore the word of God and continue sinning. “It’s okay because we love each other” or “We are engaged and getting married anyway” we declare as we rationalize our sin.

   Before you say “Yes, but no one is perfect! We all sin!” I completely agree. We all mess up and as Christians, we know our trust and faith are in the only One who died for us and who promises forgiveness when we confess our sins to Him.

   But when we intentionally sin, knowing God’s word is the opposite of what we are doing, we are rejecting the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for each of us.  Jesus became the Ultimate Sacrifice for our sins with His death on the cross. Resolve today, not to deliberately keep on sinning but to deliberately keep on turning to Him for forgiveness and renewal.  

   Father, thank you for your grace and forgiveness. I do not want to ever deliberately sin against you. Help me to stay in your word to seek truth. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you recall a time in your life when you knew you were deliberately sinning but you didn’t care or repent?

• What was your “justification” for continuing in that sin?

Apply

• Journal anything in your life that you think might be “deliberate sin.” 

• Read through the Word, write Scripture verses that speak to each entry, and then ask the Lord to forgive you and help you begin anew by His grace and mercy.

Power 

• Hebrews 10:26 (NIV) “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left. . .”

• James 4:17 (NIV) “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”

• I John 1:9 (NIV) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 

Who Ya Gonna Call?

 

"So David inquired of God again, and God answered him, 'Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.'"

I Chronicles 14:14 (NIV)

   For a long time, my instant reaction to any situation needing an important decision was the same: I would see the dilemma and I would immediately call on the Lord . . .  well, not exactly. I would get the news and I would immediately call my girlfriend. Why? Because she was a Godly woman with a lot of common sense and wisdom. She would always listen to me as I talked through the situation and then share what she thought or what I needed to consider before making my decision.

    Of course, I would toss up a token prayer (“Please give me wisdom, Lord.”) but I would usually go by what she said. And a lot of the time she would agree with me. One day the unthinkable happened: a big situation occurred that needed an immediate answer but when I called my girlfriend, she wasn’t home. I called again . . . and again . . . and again. No answer.

   And then I did what I should have been doing all along. I called on the Lord with my problem. Very quietly, very lovingly, He spoke to my heart: “Where have you been? Do you not know I will always listen and answer when you come before me? Bring all your concerns, no matter how big or small, each and every day, to me. I will take care of you, my child.”  I had no excuse or answer. I knew He was right.

   Look at David in I Chronicles 14:14. David went before God because the Philistines were attacking and he needed to know what to do. God gave him his answer and David and his armies were victorious. When the Philistines attacked again, David could have consulted his generals and gotten their opinion since they had already fought and won the previous battle. Or he could have said “Been there, done that.” and taken it upon himself to attack just like the first battle.

    Instead, he “inquired of God again” and God gave David a different solution and battle plan,  resulting in another victory. What an important lesson for me to learn! Yes, seeking Godly men and women for advice is a good idea. But, first, I need to take every situation and every concern to the Lord before I do anything else. By placing my troubles at His feet, I am acknowledging that He alone has the answers to what I am facing and what I need. 

    Secondly, I must be reminded that just because God handles a situation one way today, does not mean He will handle it the same way the next time it occurs. He may use a sermon or a Godly person or even a song to get someone’s attention. His ways are not mine but His ways are perfect, every time. So the next time I need help and direction... “Who Ya Gonna Call?” I’m gonna call my Father.

    Father, may I never forget that when I call on you, my concern is brought immediately before you and that you never tire of taking care of me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What is your first reaction when a problem lands in the middle of your day?

• Do you immediately bring it before the Lord or do you call a friend for advice?

Apply

• Start each day with Psalm 138:3, a reminder that God answers and makes us courageous to face whatever comes our way.

• Keep a journal of all the concerns and problems you have given to the Lord and leave a space for His answers.

Power

• 1 Chronicles 14:14 (NIV) "So David inquired of God again, and God answered him, 'Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.' "

• Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV) “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

• Psalm 138:3 (NIV) “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.”

My Neighbor Is Not My Friend

 “The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

           

    “Wow, Mom. Looks like someone left a special “gift” for you on the porch,” my daughter exclaimed as she left for work. “Special” was not the word I would have used as I looked at the heap of dog poop that was piled up on the welcome mat at my door. We followed the trail of remnants of the “gift” and saw it went from my porch, down my drive, and across the street into the yard of . . . my neighbor.  

    It had started a year before when she and her family had moved across the road from me in the country and her huge unfriendly dog began roaming the neighborhood, chasing cattle and neighbors in a 2-mile radius. He especially disliked me and sensing my fear, would sit in my yard and wait for me to open my door.

   If I walked outside, it would follow me, bumping me with its nose and growling. I began driving my car to the mailbox just a few yards from my house and decided against future neighborhood walks.  I tried to ignore the situation until the day the dog chased my daughter and cornered her on my back deck.

   I called my neighbor, explaining what had happened but received no sympathy.   “You are doing something to make him not like you,” she replied. “It’s your problem, not mine. Dogs are supposed to run loose in the country and that’s what mine is going to do.” I hung up the phone, crying.  And prayed.  Well, sort of.

   I admit my prayers were more like “Make her move, Lord” to “Help the dog to get lost and never come back.” But my heart – and my prayers – slowly began to change as I realized that for her to be so bitter and angry, she must be hurting inside for some reason that had nothing to do with me.

   After several weeks of being fearful that either I or a member of my family would be attacked and bitten, I received a phone call. “Someone convinced your neighbor to give her dog away this evening,” the man said. “I know you have had a lot of problems. We all have. Hopefully, this will take care of it.”  I immediately prayed “Thank you, Lord! Then the next morning, I was the recipient of the “gift” outside my front door.

   Have you been there? The neighbor who will never be neighborly? Every attempt you make to be friendly is dropkicked into next Tuesday. Kindness met with contempt? I do understand. And yet, God tells me that I am to love my neighbor, no matter what. No conditions like “as long as she loves me” or “until she does something I don’t like.”  And He doesn’t suggest that I love her; He commands that I do.

   Just as my neighbor’s actions had to do with her heart, MY reaction to what she was doing had to do with mine. And I needed to be like Jesus – no matter the outcome.

   The relationship with my neighbor never improved. She and her family moved away a few months after that incident. But I learned an important lesson from the Lord: love your neighbor and pray for your neighbor, no matter what. Even when there is poop on your welcome mat.

   Father, please help me to love my neighbor and to see her through your eyes of love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever lived by a neighbor like the one in this devotion?

• When the situation became tough, what was your first response – compassion and kindness or glares and harsh comments? Did you pray?

Apply

• Journal the power verses and the names of your neighbors and pray for them.

• If you find yourself having issues with a neighbor, go back to your journal and remind yourself of the love Jesus wants you to have for her.

Power 

• Galatians 5:14 (NIV) “The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

• Romans 13:10 (NIV) “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” 

• Mark 12:31 (NIV) “. . . Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

The Separation

 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.” 

Matthew 13:47-48 (NIV)

      The purpose of stopping at a fast food restaurant is to get your food . . . fast. However, it is NOT a place to get RID OF your food fast. Let me explain. My daughter and I stopped to get some fast food on our way home from a long trip and it truly didn’t take long at all. We ordered, paid, and were handed a sack with our food in about six minutes. End of story. Well, not quite.

    I had a great idea to clean out the old fast food containers in the car to make room for the new ones. Empty cups, half-eaten burgers, and empty French fry containers were collected and I quickly stuffed them in a sack and tossed them in the trash. As we started to drive off, my daughter asked “Where’s our food?”

    We looked everywhere in the car when she suddenly laughed “Mom! I bet you threw away our good food when you tossed out the bad!” I quickly jumped out of the car and ran over to the trash can and yes, there it was: the food we had just purchased in the same sack with all the trash that we had collected. 

    I had neglected to separate our freshly purchased food from the old food in the car! I dug out our sandwiches but somehow they had lost their appeal. There’s something about old and new burgers and fries in the same sack in the trash that curbs a person’s appetite in seconds.

     The Scripture found in Matthew 13:47-48 also refers to good and bad together as Jesus teaches His disciples about the judgment to come. In this parable, Jesus talks about fishermen who caught a full net of fish and pulled their load up on the shore. They then began the task of separating the good fish from the bad. The good were placed in baskets but the bad fish were thrown away. 

   It is important to note that the fishermen didn’t randomly toss the good and bad fish but instead “they sat down” to take their time as they carefully sorted and separated each one. Jesus is teaching his disciples – and us – that when He returns, there will be a separating, not of fish, but of believers and non-believers. Believers will live with Him for eternity but non-believers will be separated from Jesus – also for eternity.  

    Have you shared Jesus with your friends and family and that His coming is near? Judgment is real. Separation is coming. Just as all the fish swam around in the net until they were pulled to shore, we all live together in this world. But one day that will change. As believers, we must tell everyone about this beautiful Jesus we serve before the nets are pulled to shore and we are separated for eternity. It’s time to share Jesus before the separation. 

    Father, in my heart I know that you will be coming back soon. Give me the courage and conviction to share Jesus with everyone around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you picture this parable with nets full of people instead of fish being pulled to shore?

• Does that make the urgency of sharing Jesus with them before they are separated more real to you?

 Apply

• Draw a “lake” in your journal and write the names of those you love who do not have a relationship with Jesus inside the circle.

• Journal what you would say to them if they were drowning and you needed to pull them to shore. Pray for each one and then talk to them about your love for Jesus.

Power 

• Matthew 13:47-48 (NIV) “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.”

• Matthew 25:32 (NIV) “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

• II Peter 3:9 (NIV) “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”