Confess It Before It Grows

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” PROVERBS 28:13

 

PONDER THIS

David tried to cover up his sin by having Uriah killed. Today’s verse reminds us that those who cover their sin will never prosper. Oh, would to God that as soon as David committed that sin with Bathsheba, he had said, “Oh my God, what have I done? God, forgive me. God, have mercy. God, I'll bring a sacrifice and make restitution. God, have mercy.” God would have had mercy, God would have forgiven him, and God would have cleansed him. It still would have been a terrible sin, but the Bible says to “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison” (Matthew 5:25). That means if you’ve done wrong, quickly confess it. As soon as you know, confess it, and don’t let that sin build up in your heart. But instead, David spent a year without confessing that sin.

When was a time you had an opportunity to confess sin but instead sought to hide it?

How can we learn from these times so that we respond differently in the future?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess before God any sin that is lingering in your life today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Religion Can’t Satisfy Your Soul

“Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” ACTS 8:22-23

 

PONDER THIS

PRACTICE THIS

Do you know why so many churches have trouble? They are inhabited by bitter people who are in bondage. These people have met religion, but they’ve never met Jesus. They have never been broken at the foot of the cross. They’ve never laid their pride in the dust. They have come into a church, not for what they can give, but for what they can get. The Spirit of God is not in these people, and they are troublemakers everywhere they go because their religion has never satisfied them, and it never can. They are disillusioned, they have unfulfilled desires, they got into religion for the wrong reason, and they never find satisfaction. Everywhere they go, they’re like Simon, full of bitterness and full of bondage. As Jesus reminded, those who know Him are not characterized most by bondage but by freedom.

What are some wrong reasons people might seek God today?

How can you know you are seeking Jesus for the right reasons?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Repent

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

A vague, bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.

This morning I began to pray, and felt unworthy to be talking to the Creator of the universe. It was a vague sense of unworthiness. So I told him so. Now what?

Nothing changed until I began to get specific about my sins. Crummy feelings can be useful if they lead to conviction for specific sins. But vague feelings of being a bad person are not usually very helpful.

The fog of unworthiness needs to take shape into clear dark pillars of disobedience. Then you can point to them and repent and ask for forgiveness and take aim with your gospel bazooka to blow them up.

So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind.

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, but 100%. (Matthew 22:37)

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)

Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling — inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)

Cast all your anxieties on him — so you are not being weighed down by them anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)

Only say things that give grace to others — especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)

Redeem the time. Don’t fritter away the minutes, or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)

So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I’m undone.

This is much worse than vague, crummy feelings. Ah, but now the enemy is visible. The sins are specific. They’ve come out of hiding. I look them in the eye. I’m not whining about feeling crummy. I’m apologizing to Christ for not doing specific things that he commanded.

I’m broken, and I’m angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I’m not suicidal. I’m a sin-hater and a sin-murderer. (“Put to death what is earthly in you,” Colossians 3:5; “Put to death the deeds of the body,” Romans 8:13.) I want to live. That’s why I’m a killer — of my sin!

In this conflict, I hear the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Peace rises.

Now, prayer feels possible and right and powerful again.

John Piper 

No Space for the Enemy’s Foothold

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” JAMES 4:7

 

PONDER THIS

Even after you repent, the devil is not going to walk out of your life. You’re going to have to run him out. If you don’t resist him, he’s not going anywhere. When you repent of the sin, Jesus cancels the debt. Then you say, “Satan, I have given you a place, but I take it back in the name and the authority of Jesus. You have no right, you have no authority, this body of mine is the temple of the Holy Spirit, you are trespassing on my Father’s property, and in the name of Jesus, whose I am and whom I serve, be gone!” And he’ll flee from you. The problem is, if you try to resist the devil with unconfessed sin in your heart and life, he will laugh in your face. He’ll say, “Who do you think you are? You gave me this piece of property, and I am not moving out.” There must be repentance, and then there can be resistance.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means there’s not one room in your temple where He’s off bounds. There’s not one closet He doesn’t have a key to. You are filled with the Spirit, in your sex life, in your business life, in your political life, in your church life, in your social life, in the big things and the little things. Jesus has the keys to it all. When you are filled with the Spirit, there’s no more room for Satan.

What has been your experience with repentance? How have you experienced the return of temptation following repentance?

What are some places in life you have not given God access to? What needs to change?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask God to open your eyes to the areas of your life where the enemy is still in control. Repent. Resist the devil. And ask Jesus to fill those parts of your life with Himself.

 

 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Oppression and Obsession

“Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’ And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.” MARK 1:23-26

 

PONDER THIS

I once thought that if I could avoid sin, I would not face spiritual warfare. But you can be perfectly righteous and still do battle with the devil. Jesus did. The devil came to Jesus to oppress Him.

The devil works through oppression but also obsession. That’s when something fills your mind, consumes your energy, and drives you in a particular way. Many people are obsessed with money. A businessman may be respected in America today, but he may have an obsession. He's not making money; he's just keeping score. He doesn't need any more money, but he can't stop. He has an obsession. Others are obsessed with maintaining their image. Their vanity has become an obsession that drives every decision they make, from what they wear to what they say. So many times, these obsessions blind us instead of moving us toward God in repentance. You may feel like you are in control, but there is a spiritual battle at war for your soul.

Where do you feel oppressed or obsessed in your life? What might this indicate about spiritual battle?

How can we seek to balance daily interests in good things so they don’t become unhealthy obsessions?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess the ways you have been, or are currently feeling, tempted. Ask God to help you focus on Him and follow His way.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

It Begins with a Cold Heart

“So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’” 2 SAMUEL 12:13-14

 

PONDER THIS

David was a great sinner, but he became a great repenter. He confessed, “I have sinned against the LORD.” But Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” God is serious about your life. He wants you to live a righteous and holy life. David’s problem was the coldness of his heart. That’s where it began.

God may be calling you to renew your vows to Jesus and say, “I haven’t committed adultery. I haven’t killed anybody. But I don’t love you like I used to. I’ve been lazy. I’ve been idle. I’ve had unguarded strength. It may be a double weakness.” He's made you for a life walking with Him. Don’t resist Him today.

How would you assess your faith now? Where are you passionate for God? Where have you grown cold?

What does it look like to walk in holiness with God? What parts of that feel difficult for you?

PRACTICE THIS

Reflect on your life of faith and consider your walk with God. Be honest with God in prayer about where you have become cold.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Repent

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

A vague, bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.

This morning I began to pray, and felt unworthy to be talking to the Creator of the universe. It was a vague sense of unworthiness. So I told him so. Now what?

Nothing changed until I began to get specific about my sins. Crummy feelings can be useful if they lead to conviction for specific sins. But vague feelings of being a bad person are not usually very helpful.

The fog of unworthiness needs to take shape into clear dark pillars of disobedience. Then you can point to them and repent and ask for forgiveness and take aim with your gospel bazooka to blow them up.

So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind.

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, but 100%. (Matthew 22:37)

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)

Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling — inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)

Cast all your anxieties on him — so you are not being weighed down by them anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)

Only say things that give grace to others — especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)

Redeem the time. Don’t fritter away the minutes, or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)

So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I’m undone.

This is much worse than vague, crummy feelings. Ah, but now the enemy is visible. The sins are specific. They’ve come out of hiding. I look them in the eye. I’m not whining about feeling crummy. I’m apologizing to Christ for not doing specific things that he commanded.

I’m broken, and I’m angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I’m not suicidal. I’m a sin-hater and a sin-murderer. (“Put to death what is earthly in you,” Colossians 3:5; “Put to death the deeds of the body,” Romans 8:13.) I want to live. That’s why I’m a killer — of my sin!

In this conflict, I hear the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Peace rises.

Now, prayer feels possible and right and powerful again.

John Piper 

Are You Protecting Your Family?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity.” Isaiah 59:1-3

 

PONDER THIS

I once heard about a man in the Blue Ridge Mountains who caught rattlesnakes for a living. One day he caught a huge rattler that had a rattle with fourteen segments. He put it in a box with a glass top on the box and was out in the fields plowing when his little boy slid the top off that box where that rattler was coiled. The rattlesnake sprung out of that box and planted his fangs in the cheek of that little boy. The little boy ran out of the house and into the yard to tell his father what had happened. The father watched the boy’s face begin to swell and then the child died.

Devastated, the man lifted his voice in anguish and said, “I would not trade my sons for all the rattlesnakes in the Blue Ridge Mountains.” The company of the rattlesnake felt so harmless tucked away in a box, but it was still deadly. We cannot play with vices that will destroy our children. There is serious danger in letting sin have a foothold in our families. We may think, “It is just my problem to deal with.” But sin will hurt us and everyone around us if it is not surrendered to God and dealt with in His way.

What are some sin struggles you do not want to pass down to the next generation?

What are some ways we justify sin even though it has terrible effects on our lives and on our families?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess your sin to God and repent.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Remedy for Spiritual Poverty

PRAY OVER THIS

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:1-2

 

PONDER THIS

Blessed are the poor in spirit. Before people can enter the kingdom of Heaven, they must first admit that in their spirits, they are absolutely bankrupt and beggars before God. If they don’t see that, they will never ever get into the kingdom of Heaven.

When you come to Jesus Christ, you do not strut into His presence. The very word for beggar and for poor comes from a root word meaning, “to cringe, to cower, to shrink back.” There are no peacocks in Heaven. He’s talking here about a person who is totally, completely, devastatingly, bankrupt to the point of being reduced to being a beggar. And when they come to God, they must say as the old hymn, Rock of Ages says, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” That’s where it begins. You must know your need to call out to your Savior. Brokenness follows bankruptcy. Broken people will search for the solution to their problem, and that is found in Jesus.

Why is it easy to forget or ignore our spiritual poverty before God?

What does it look like to live as a Christian who understands spiritual poverty?

PRACTICE THIS

Repent for any sin you have been holding onto and confess your spiritual poverty before God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

No Problems are Too Big for God to Solve

PRAY OVER THIS

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4

 

PONDER THIS

Do you know what most of our arguments are? Ego against ego! Self against self! Before long there’s going to be a war between those two kingdoms. The husband needs to step down from the throne of his life and enthrone King Jesus. The same is true for the wife!

How many kingdoms are there? There is just one kingdom—Jesus rules both thrones. And here’s a wonderful secret: The Jesus in the husband is not going to fight the Jesus in the wife. If Christ is on the throne of both lives, the husband and wife will be one spiritually. You’re going to be able to pray together and worship together. Because you’re one spiritually, is it easier to be one psychologically? Not always! Where is the problem psychologically? Why can’t we heal our arguments? Because of our egos. But when we take ourselves off the throne and enthrone Christ, we can solve those problems. There are no problems too big to solve; just people too small to solve them.

When has your ego affected an argument in which you were involved?

How can you get past your ego? What makes that so difficult?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and repent for the ways your ego has hurt your relationships with others.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Repent

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

A vague, bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.

This morning I began to pray, and felt unworthy to be talking to the Creator of the universe. It was a vague sense of unworthiness. So I told him so. Now what?

Nothing changed until I began to get specific about my sins. Crummy feelings can be useful if they lead to conviction for specific sins. But vague feelings of being a bad person are not usually very helpful.

The fog of unworthiness needs to take shape into clear dark pillars of disobedience. Then you can point to them and repent and ask for forgiveness and take aim with your gospel bazooka to blow them up.

So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind.

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, but 100%. (Matthew 22:37)

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)

Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling — inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)

Cast all your anxieties on him — so you are not being weighed down by them anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)

Only say things that give grace to others — especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)

Redeem the time. Don’t fritter away the minutes, or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)

So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I’m undone.

This is much worse than vague, crummy feelings. Ah, but now the enemy is visible. The sins are specific. They’ve come out of hiding. I look them in the eye. I’m not whining about feeling crummy. I’m apologizing to Christ for not doing specific things that he commanded.

I’m broken, and I’m angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I’m not suicidal. I’m a sin-hater and a sin-murderer. (“Put to death what is earthly in you,” Colossians 3:5; “Put to death the deeds of the body,” Romans 8:13.) I want to live. That’s why I’m a killer — of my sin!

In this conflict, I hear the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Peace rises.

Now, prayer feels possible and right and powerful again.

John Piper 

We Cannot Save Ourselves

Pray Over This

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

Ponder This

How do you avoid perishing? Come to repentance. What is repentance? It is a change of mind. The Greek word, metanoia, means “I changed my mind.” I have been trusting myself, living in sin, and going this way—and I have a radical, dramatic change of mind. I repent, I turn from sin to Jesus. It means you shift from placing faith in yourself to placing faith in Him. Have you said, “Lord once and for all, now and forever, I trust you; I receive you to be my Lord and my Savior”? That is repentance. Jesus said, in Luke 13:3, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Second Peter 3:9 reminds us, “The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Repentance is not just turning over a new leaf; it’s receiving a new life. It’s trusting Christ as your personal Savior.

This is not only a decision you make once but an act of trust every day, turning to Him as your Savior and putting faith in Him instead of in yourself.

What are some ways you have trusted in yourself instead of God?

What has changed in your life since you began following Jesus?

Practice This

Consider if there is anything you need to repent of today. Pray and ask God for forgiveness and receive His new way of life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Repent

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

A vague, bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.

This morning I began to pray, and felt unworthy to be talking to the Creator of the universe. It was a vague sense of unworthiness. So I told him so. Now what?

Nothing changed until I began to get specific about my sins. Crummy feelings can be useful if they lead to conviction for specific sins. But vague feelings of being a bad person are not usually very helpful.

The fog of unworthiness needs to take shape into clear dark pillars of disobedience. Then you can point to them and repent and ask for forgiveness and take aim with your gospel bazooka to blow them up.

So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind.

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, but 100%. (Matthew 22:37)

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)

Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling — inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)

Cast all your anxieties on him — so you are not being weighed down by them anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)

Only say things that give grace to others — especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)

Redeem the time. Don’t fritter away the minutes, or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)

So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I’m undone.

This is much worse than vague, crummy feelings. Ah, but now the enemy is visible. The sins are specific. They’ve come out of hiding. I look them in the eye. I’m not whining about feeling crummy. I’m apologizing to Christ for not doing specific things that he commanded.

I’m broken, and I’m angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I’m not suicidal. I’m a sin-hater and a sin-murderer. (“Put to death what is earthly in you,” Colossians 3:5; “Put to death the deeds of the body,” Romans 8:13.) I want to live. That’s why I’m a killer — of my sin!

In this conflict, I hear the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Peace rises.

Now, prayer feels possible and right and powerful again.

John Piper 

What Does It Mean to Backslide?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” Revelation 2:5

 

PONDER THIS

What is a backslider? A backslider is not an unsaved person. No unsaved person can be a backslider. When Christians use the term backslider we’re not talking about the lost, we’re talking about the saved. You must go somewhere in order to slide back; that is, you must have known the Lord before you can backslide away from Him. A lost person is just lost. The backslider is a saved person who’s out of fellowship with God.

If there was ever a time when you loved the Lord Jesus Christ more than you love Him at this moment; if there was ever a time when He meant more to you, when prayer was sweeter to you, when worship was more real to you, when your service was more effective for the Lord Jesus Christ; if there was ever a time like that when it was more than it is now, you may be backsliding.

What might be some evidence that you are backsliding in your fellowship with Christ?

What are some ways to guard against this each day?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend dedicated time in prayer, asking God to reveal where you might have backslidden and to renew your fellowship with Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Teach Your Children to Repent

PRAY OVER THIS

“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.’ And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.”

Mark 10:13-16

 

PONDER THIS

When a child disobeys his parents, do you know what that child has done? He’s sinned against God. It’s not primarily you he’s sinned against; he’s sinned against God. We are making a mistake if our primary goal in disciplining our children is to make them sorry for what they’ve done to us. We are missing an opportunity for discipleship. We should say, “Listen, Daddy’s (or Momma’s) heart is broken because God doesn’t want us to behave that way.” Now, be careful. You cannot be the Holy Spirit. You can pray for repentance in that child’s heart, you can try to lead that child to repentance, but remember the Holy Spirit must do that. But you should continually pray for and guide that child to repentance.

What is the danger of only drawing your children’s attention to human hurt but never to the hurt they cause God?

What are some ways you might make the connection to repentance for your children?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend some time writing out ideas for how you might effectively communicate the idea of repentance to your children (or children close to you) in ways they might understand. Help them receive correction according to God’s grace.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

God’s People Were Prepared

PRAY OVER THIS

“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22

 

PONDER THIS

Pavlov, the Russian psychologist, did experiments in what we call “conditioned response.” He had his dogs, and he would ring a bell, feed the dogs, ring a bell, feed the dogs, ring a bell, feed the dogs. He conditioned the dogs so that all he had to do was ring a bell and they’d begin to drool. They began to salivate because they knew that the bell meant food. What was God doing in the Old Testament with all the sacrifices, beginning with the skins that clothed Adam and Eve and continuing with Abel’s offering? He was conditioning His people. When they saw the blood, they were reminded repeatedly that sin meant death. Therefore, God’s people were ready for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. For, “without shedding of blood there is no remission.”

As you read God’s Word, how do the Old Testament sacrifices help you look for the coming sacrifice of Jesus?

How does it change your perspective of the Old Testament to read it in this way?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time in prayer to thank God for the sacrifices of the Old Testament that continually pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Repent

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

A vague, bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.

This morning I began to pray, and felt unworthy to be talking to the Creator of the universe. It was a vague sense of unworthiness. So I told him so. Now what?

Nothing changed until I began to get specific about my sins. Crummy feelings can be useful if they lead to conviction for specific sins. But vague feelings of being a bad person are not usually very helpful.

The fog of unworthiness needs to take shape into clear dark pillars of disobedience. Then you can point to them and repent and ask for forgiveness and take aim with your gospel bazooka to blow them up.

So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind.

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, but 100%. (Matthew 22:37)

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)

Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling — inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)

Cast all your anxieties on him — so you are not being weighed down by them anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)

Only say things that give grace to others — especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)

Redeem the time. Don’t fritter away the minutes, or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)

So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I’m undone.

This is much worse than vague, crummy feelings. Ah, but now the enemy is visible. The sins are specific. They’ve come out of hiding. I look them in the eye. I’m not whining about feeling crummy. I’m apologizing to Christ for not doing specific things that he commanded.

I’m broken, and I’m angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I’m not suicidal. I’m a sin-hater and a sin-murderer. (“Put to death what is earthly in you,” Colossians 3:5; “Put to death the deeds of the body,” Romans 8:13.) I want to live. That’s why I’m a killer — of my sin!

In this conflict, I hear the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Peace rises.

Now, prayer feels possible and right and powerful again.

John Piper 

Do You Identify with Jesus?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38

 

PONDER THIS

I read somewhere years ago about a little boy who got saved in the children’s church service. The pastor of the children’s church service said to the little fellow, “Now you need to go over and tell them at big church that you’ve been saved, and you need to get baptized.” Well, the boy didn’t quite understand what he was being told, so he went and told the pastor, “I’ve been saved, and I need to get advertised.” This is a funny mix up, but his words were true. Once you get saved, you get advertised. You’re saying, “Here I am, and I belong to Jesus Christ. I want everybody who sees me to know that I have been buried with Him by baptism into death and raised to walk in newness of life. I am identifying myself with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Why is it important to identify with Jesus—to advertise ourselves for Him?

Read Matthew 10:32-33. What did Jesus say about our identification with Him?

PRACTICE THIS

Do one thing today to “advertise” for Jesus.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Souls of Dirty Sinners

We are all dirty sinners.

What separates sinners from God?

Denying Christ alone!

He is our only hope.

There is no way to God except through the blood shed on the cross.

God demanded a blameless substitute.

None was found except Christ.

1 John 2:2

[2] He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 14:6

[6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Revelation 1:5

[5] and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 

1 Timothy 1:15-16

[15] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. [16] But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Romans 3:22-25

[22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Ephesians 1:7-10

[7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, [8] which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight [9] making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10] as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Acts 17:30

[30] The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

The Thirst This World Can"t Satisfy

Thirst

Needing or wanting something to drink

This human body created by an Almighty Creator has to have water to survive.

God gave man thirst to know he was in danger and his body needed attention.

In the Bible, thirst is also used to signify the need for a Savior Who is Christ the Lord.

It is the desire for man to know God and His will and way.

That thirst is for righteousness that comes from a sinless substitute Lamb.

God requires blood atonement for the remission of sin.

That blood was The Lamb Christ The Lord.

There was no one who could satisfy until Christ.

Thirst for forgiveness leads to repentance and it is only achievable through Christ.

It can never be quenched other than a relationship through repentance.

We are made aware of sin through the law, followed by repentance and then forgiveness through Christ.

Jesus took the form of man, while still being God's Son.

This miraculous conception brought on by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit ending in the virgin birth.

A babe who grew into a man-God remaining sinless unto His preordained death.

Repent!

This is the eternal thirst that will be satisfied!!

Romans 3:23

[23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Hebrews 9:22

[22] Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

1 Peter 2:24

[24] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

1 Peter 3:18

[18] For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Revelation 5:9

[9] And they sang a new song, saying, 

    “Worthy are you to take the scroll

        and to open its seals,

    for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

        from every tribe and language and people and nation,

Luke 5:32

[32] I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Romans 7:7-25

[7] What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” [8] But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. [9] I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. [10] The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. [11] For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. [12] So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

[13] Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. [14] For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. [15] For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. [16] Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. [17] So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. [18] For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. [19] For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. [20] Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

[21] So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. [22] For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, [23] but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. [24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.