Have you ever had those moments where your relationship with God is so solid?

When you’ve made the effort to actually spend quiet time with him. You’ve enjoyed reading His word, praying and loving your neighbours.

Your ability to forgive your enemies is superb.

You go to church and serve God and his people from the bottom of your heart.

I mean your love for God just can’t get any better. You’re not perfect, but you can genuinely see a subtle constant growth in your desire for God.

Then all of sudden, you slip.

You slip real hard.

It might’ve been a sin you constantly struggle with. It might have been the first time
you’ve ever committed such a sin.

Maybe you got really intoxicated. Started smoking weed again…again..and again.

It’s become a habit again.

Maybe you got pregnant, had an abortion.

Maybe you were binge watching porn all night.

Regardless of what sin it may be, we’ve all been there and for lack of better words.

It sucks

Hopefully this post encourages those of us, who know the truth about Jesus Christ, yet have grown far from him due to a multitude of sins.

 

 1. Don’t Blame anything/ anyone but Your Heart

 

 “Well..Thanks for rubbing salt in my wounds, man”

^^ Fair statement, however, understanding and believing where the problem lies will help us discover freedom.

 

^“13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). ¹⁵ Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death”

James 1:13-15 AMP

At times, as Christians, we are so damaged by our sins that we look to point the blame to everything but ourselves. I want you to remember one thing.

God is not the reason why you sinned. Your friends are not the reason why you sinned. That guy or girl you were lusting over is not the reason why you sinned.

The only person we can ever blame is ourselves.

It is a painful yet humbling reality, which will set our minds right.

 

2. Don’t wait for the Right Time

There have been many times in my life where I have sinned so heavily that I believed God would never forgive me.

As a matter of fact, in such situations I literally “hid” myself from.

Soaked in heavy guilt and regret, I avoided seeking God in prayer and reading the word.

Ironically, the more I “hid” from Christ, the more I fell into the same sins because I felt there was no use in asking for forgiveness anymore.

This game I was playing did me no good.

 

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us

1 John 1:9-10 ESV

 

I know we all say we believe in Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins, but let’s actually live that out.

A dying man will not simply lie down  in anticipation of his fate, but rather seeks for help in order to save his life.

In the same way,  let’s learn to stop delaying the process of repentance but rather run sprint to the throne of grace!

Consider this passage for additional motivation:

 

Psalm 51 is one of my favourite chapters in the Bible. We see King David pleading with God for mercy after he had acknowledged his adulterous sin (sleeping with Bathsheba).

In this particular verse, David uses the word “contrite” which literally means expressing remorse or affected by guilt.

God will never despise anyone who carries such a heart.

Go before him, broken, and let him know of your afflictions in sinning.

Does God hate sin? Absolutely!

But don’t convince yourself that God will look at you scornfully when you go before him seeking repentance.

 

3. Confess your Sins to Others

You probably cringed when you saw this heading. I felt the same way. But I can personally tell you, restoration towards the sins I most struggled with became more realistic when I had confessed my sins to close friends of mine in the faith.

Having said that, I wouldn’t advise anyone to go on the top of a mountain and blurt out every one of their sins with a megaphone. Find close friends who are trustworthy and firm in the faith.

Go to your pastor and/ or other leaders in the church.

More often than not, they also struggled (or are struggling) with the same sin you are dealing with.

You will be strengthened by this transparency and healed in your afflictions of sins. Easier said than done, but it’s written in the Bible for a reason, it works.

 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working

James 5:16 ESV

 

Lastly, be encouraged by these words from Micah the Prophet:

Prophet Micah bore the consequences of his nation when Judah was faced with various trials due to their sins.

Nevertheless, he was hopeful towards God because he understood His faithfulness.

In the same way, we may have to bear the natural consequences of or sins (if that be losing status, credibility, friendships, going to jail, etc.) but we must be hopeful in trusting God that he will forgive us and strengthen us to continue repenting towards righteousness.

Don’t just run to God…sprint.

Soli Deo Gloria