Even though God's power is at work in us, helping us to become more and more like Jesus, we will stumble in our walk in order to prepare us for the spiritual growth that lies ahead.
Temptation: enticing to sin; being attracted to sin
Keep in mind temptation is not sin. This is not the same thing. Temptation becomes sin when we yield to it and respond to it. We do not have to give into temptation. The saying, "The devil made me do it" is not true. On the cross the mastery of sin was completely broken. Yes, sin is still present, but it's domination and control have been broken thanks to Jesus.
John 16:33
33.) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)
This is Jesus telling us that although we will have hardship, we shall trust in Him because he will help us get through it since He has already overcame it.
1 John 4:4
4.) "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (NIV)
God is greater than satan, therefore satan can't make us sin. We sin because we make the decision to because we like it, but keep in mind we were not made to sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13.) "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (NIV)
Serves to remind us that temptation is going to come and hit us hard, telling us we're just like everybody else. If we're thinking this way, we're listening to the voice of satan; the voice of sin. God's promise is that "no temptation has overtaken you that is not common" we are not alone in this battle. Jesus too was tempted, but He overcame it, therefore He will help us overcome it as well. God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can handle. Paul goes on to say that God will provide a way so that we can endure temptation, but not by our inner strength instead by God's character. God is not gonna keep up away from temptation, but He is gonna walk with us in the midst of it all. This is how we grow in our Christian walk.
God is for us and not against us. God is on our side and wants to see us succeed and not yield to temptation. This is why he has given us the Holy Spirit, to direct us, but we need to listen to the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
So what are we gonna do when we stumble and sin?
1. Confess
The most miserable person in this world is that one who refuses to confess their sin. This is the person with both feet in both worlds.
Confession: Acknowledging the fact that you have sinned
It is agreeing with God that He is 100% right and I am 100% wrong.
1 John 1:8-10
8.) "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9.) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
10.) If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." (NIV)
If we confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just and will forgive us.
A great example of confession is Psalms 51 where David asks God to forgive him for committing sin against him. In this Psalm you can see King David make no excuses. He doesn't find a way to justify himself, he doesn't make himself seem as the victim, instead, we see total admission of the sin committed. We can also see David agrees with God that sin is awfully bad; horrific and a wretched thing. We see that David doesn't think he deserves forgiveness, rather he calls on God's character of mercy and grace. Because of who God is, David is asking Him to forgive him. Towards the end of the Psalm we can see that David knows he will be forgiven. Psalms 51 is a model of true biblical confession.
Sin knows the power of confession and therefore the devil does not want us to confess. Sin will whisper to us to make excuses so that we don't end up confessing because once confession takes place, it will unleash the merciful heart of God and give us another chance to walk away from the world. It's very important that we confess because only confession will bring a full cleansing to the soul.
When it comes to confessions, it's important we get it over with and not hold it off. When we hold onto sin we're only hurting ourselves, falling further down the spiral of sin. Keep in mind that when we confess we are telling God something He already knows, but still wants to hear it from us. Remember, confession helps shape us into being godly so that we make look more and more like Jesus.
It's also helpful and important to confess our sin to one another since we are a family in Christ.
James 5:16
16.) "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV)
The power of sin can be broken when we bring it to the light. That's why it's important to pray over one another.
2. Receive Forgiveness
Forgiveness: Voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change of feelings or attitude regarding an offense
1 John 1:9
9.) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (NIV)
When we confess, we receive forgiveness. If God loved us before conversion, why wouldn't He love us now? Without exception, no matter how bad or how ugly, dirty the sin may be, God will forgive. Although forgiveness isn't a one sided thing. We too must learn to forgive ourselves because God has by then already forgave us.
3. Be Cleansed
Psalms 103 serves as an example of what it is to be cleansed. It goes on to explain the great beauty of God of Him being so merciful and compassionate. It goes on to show that the psalmist felt freedom and beauty in everything. This is the power of confession and being cleansed. Confess early, confess now, don't wait to taste the freedom of being cleansed.
On the other hand we also have an example in the Bible of what it's like to not be cleansed in Psalm 32. In verse 3 we can see the Psalmist describe what it's like to not confess. Then further on in verse 5 we can see the confession and in verse 1 we can see that we're forgiven.
Conclusion
Stumbling is part of the walk with Christ. When we stumble, we must learn from it so that later on in our walk we won't do it again. This will help us grow spiritually and better prepare us for things to come. Always remember though, when you stumble, make sure you confess to God, we can't hold onto it because it's only going to hurt us more and we must understand that God has forgiven us, but is asking us to not do it again. So when you stumble, don't let it stop you from walking forward. We must get over the stone so that we may continue our path on the journey to eternal life.
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