Weeping Yet Pressing Forward

³⁰ But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went...

-2 Samuel 15:30

Behind the Celebratory Curtain

A promotion at work, a college graduation, celebrating 50 years of matrimony are all celebratory occasions.  However, hidden behind the curtains of the aforementioned celebrations are the tremendous amounts of sacrifice that made them possible.  Achievements don’t just appear, they are earned.

Weeping as He Went

Today as I was reading 2 Samuel 15, the 30^th verse caught my attention.  It reads, “But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went… (2 Samuel 15:30)”  It occurred to me that greatness in any area of our lives often requires tearful, uncomfortable sacrifice.

Interpreting Tears Correctly

Painful instances do not always represent setbacks.  Assuming you are pursuing positive endeavors, those tough, tear drenched moments often signal that significant progress is being made.

Winners that Wept

In addition to David’s example of weeping yet pressing forward, consider a few more biblical examples:

Hezekiah

Hezekiah wept yet pressed forward in prayer.  The result God responded by healing him of a serious illness and protecting his city from an imminent attack. (2 Kings 20:1-5)

A Sinful Woman 

A woman in Luke 7, simply referred to as “a sinner,” wept yet pressed through her tears to serve the Messiah.  The result… Jesus ushered the peace of forgiveness into her life and elevated her as an example of authentic gratitude before a group of arrogant, judgmental men.  (John 11:1-43)

Jesus 

Jesus, our very savior, wept yet he pressed through the crowds, pressed past death, pressed passed those that doubted Him and spoke life into Lazarus.  The result…  A man that had been dead for four days walked out the tomb alive!

Weep Today, Rejoice Tomorrow  

Recovery, renewal and reaping rewards all require sacrifice.  Today’s message is simple… Weep if you must but keep pressing forward. 

See your tears as a road sign that says, "Speed up!  A Major Accomplishment is Ahead!"  The Psalmist said it like this, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”  (Psalm 126:5-6)

As you press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling you… Weep if you must but keep pressing on!  (Philippians 3:14)

Affirmation

Weeping or Not... I Am Pressing Forward!

Stop Complaining... It's Draining

 1 Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah, [a] because fire from the LORD had burned among them.

-Numbers 11:1-3 (NIV)


Praise is the Pre-Curser to an Uplifted Spirit
A popular Christian quote says, “When the praises go up… The blessings come down!”  It is true that the Lord inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3).  It’s true that praise moves our focus from our weakness to God’s indisputable, all-powerful strength.  It’s true that praise makes us feel better (Psalm 42:5)!

The Choice is Yours...

If all of the above is true, why do we complain?  Any reason that we can articulate boils down to one word: CHOICE.  Sure we all have seemingly more than our fair share of problems but we also have much more than our fair share of blessings.  Complaining is choosing to focus on the areas of our lives we perceive as "limiting" instead of the empowering ways God has positioned us to succeed and live an abundant life.

The Downside of Complaining

Complaining attracts the wrong types of friends.  It steals time that could be spent finding solutions.  It prolongs and causes you to re-live the painful situation each time you recount the story.   The main reason to avoid complaining is found in Numbers 11:1-3… God does not like it.  It  makes Him angry.

Praising God Shrinks Problems 

Whatever your troubles, know this… If you are reading this devotional,  your problems have not overtaken you.  You are still here!  You still have a reason to hope in God.  Praise God that every breath you take represents a new opportunity for Him to do something amazing in your life!  

Choose to magnify God instead of your problems and something AMAZING will happen!  Your soul will be encouraged as you think about God reigning over every person, problem, situation and blessing in your life.  Yes!  God reigns over everything!  Your issues may be too big for you but they are not too  big for God!  Praise allows you to raise your hands and literally give your situations to God and receive his strength (1 Peter 5:6-7 and Isaiah 61:1-3)!  

Equipping Yourself to Praise God

Carry a piece of paper with you and, throughout the day, write down everything that’s going right that could be going wrong. 

 For example...

The hot water in the shower could be cold... 

The refrigerator in your home could be empty... 

The car in the drive way could have been stolen... 

Your eyes could be without sight...

Your arms, legs, fingers and toes could be in pain... 

Your errand could have been interrupted by a horrible accident…

The point of this exercise is to write down all the daily blessings that we so easily take for granted.  Anytime you are tempted to complain, look at the list and start to thank God and praise Him for Today’s blessings!

Affirmation

I will Bless the Lord at all Times!

Proverbs 31... Character Development

 ³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, 
      But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

-Proverbs 31:30

Imagine a world in which names did not exist… There were no Joes, Johns, Sues or Samathas… Instead of being referred to by our names, we were called by our actions.  How would people describe you?  (See Luke 6:43-45) While some may welcome this challenge, most of us would tremble!

A Model of Wise Character

Proverbs 31 paints a picture of a woman that would do quite well in the world imagined above.  The author describes her as rare, responsible, proactive, wise, thoughtful. and the list of positive attributes goes on and on and is worth reading  (See Proverbs 31:10-31).

While the way people describe you today is food for thought, the more important questions are…

-How would you like people to describe your actions? 

-And what are you going to do about it?”

Character Development

Here are a few steps you can take to further develop your character...

Study Proverbs 31:10-31

The woman in Proverbs 31 is a great example of wise, godly living in several areas of life.  We not only see her character but we see the way she expresses it in terms of work, family, treatment of strangers, etc.  As you study the verses ask yourself, “Which attributes are present in my life?”  And Praise God for them!  Then ask yourself, “Which attributes are absent?  And what changes must I implement to express them?”

For example, Proverbs 31:8 reads, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”  As I read that I thought, “I want godly strength and dignity to that degree.  I want to be able to look at life’s obstacles and rejoice, not after, but while I am overcoming them.  I want to be so confident in God’s ability to lead me to success that I see momentary setbacks as detours and not permanent failures.”

Find Scriptures to Support Your Ambition and Reflect Upon Them…

Continuing the example above… I found a few biblical promises to support my goal of increasing my strength or confidence in God’s ability to victoriously guide me in overcoming obstacles.  Here are two scriptures that I will use as "thought filters" today…

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

-Psalm 27:1

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

-Ephesians 6:10

Click Scripture Menu to find scriptures that support your ambitions.

Scriptures are food that nourish the soul.  They are literally meant to be our daily bread (Matthew 4:4; Psalm 19:7-9 and Romans 10:17).  Ideas often seep into our minds that reduce our confidence, cloud our vision and distract us from achieving God’s purposes in our lives.  As Christians the Bible declares we are new creations with new identities and possibilities in Christ (2 Cor 5:17; Romans 12:1-2)!  Use scriptures to allow God to define your new identity, sense of possibility and abundant future. 

Commit to your Goals through Prayer and Action

Go for it!  Ask God to be your teacher, your trainer, your tutor… God designed  You for greatness.  After you pray, believe that God will assist you and exercise the discipline required to accomplish your goals!  (John 14:13-14; Mark 11:22-25 and Philippians 4:6-7)

Affirmation

I will Reflect God’s Maturing Power in My Life!

Proverbs 30:7-9... Simplifying Life (The Benefits of Proper Ambition)

⁷ "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; 
       do not refuse me before I die:
 ⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me; 
       give me neither poverty nor riches, 
       but give me only my daily bread.

 ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you 
       and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' 
       Or I may become poor and steal, 
       and so dishonor the name of my God.

-Proverbs 30:7-9

Do you ever feel like the world is moving faster than you?  Do words such as “overwhelmed, anxious or confused” sometimes describe your state?  Do you ever ask yourself, “How did my life get this complicated?”  If you answered yes to any of these questions, Proverbs 30:7-9 is stuffed with advice that we can use to…

Simplify our Lives,

Better Manage our Pace and

Experience God’s Peace in a More Dramatic Fashion.

A Wise Prayer

Proverbs 30:7-9 record the words of a wise prayer. 

                     

Reliance Upon God

The first reason the prayer is wise is because the author was relying upon God to meet his needs (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).   How often do we find ourselves disappointed when human beings let us down or temporary structures collapse (Matthew 7:24-29)?  Here are the facts… Jobs vanish, opportunities disappear, natural disasters wipe out long lasting communities but God and His Word never fail (1 Peter 1:22-25, Isaiah 55:11 and Joshua 21:45).

Understanding "Wants" vs. "Needs"

The second reason the prayer is wise is because the requestor looked at life and asked, “What do I really need?”  Think about that for a moment…  While I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with desiring "wants," how much more peace would we experience if we stopped and realized, “I have everything I need.  I may desire the "luxury of more" but my needs are met.”  The simple truth is… If we didn’t have everything we need, we’d be dead! (Matthew 4:1-4; Psalm 34:9-11 and Deuteronomy 8:1-18). 

God is the Ultimate Source of Everything Good 

Lastly, the simple act of asking the Lord implies that the author understood God is the source of all good things and He freely bestows His treasures on His children (Philippians 4:19; James 1:17 and Matthew 7:7-11).  How much more joy would we experience, if like the author of this prayer, realized, “Whatever we need, God is able to supply it.  Not only is He able to supply it… It is His Good Pleasure to bless us. (Luke 12:27-32)”

Simplifying Life

After considering everything the world had to offer, the author asked for two things…

 ⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me; 
       give me neither poverty nor riches, 
       but give me only my daily bread.

In addition to making His request known, the author allows us to understand his rationale…

 ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you 
       and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' 
       Or I may become poor and steal, 
       and so dishonor the name of my God

What Do Our Prayers Say about Us?

The author’s prayer indicates something about him that my prayers often fail to demonstrate about me… The author's prayer essentially says...

 “My main goal is to please my Creator.”  

While my prayers sometimes border on “spiritual narcism,” this prayer says... 

“God, bless me to make You happy!  In fact, I’d like you to remove or withhold any temporal pleasure that may distract me from your eternal greatness.  I simply want you to structure my life in a way that prompts me to deepen my relationship and dependence on You moment by moment. ” (Psalm 139:23-24, Matthew 6:5-13 and Psalm 27:1-4)

Aspiring to Real Greatness

Want a manageable pace?  Want a life characterized by gratitude, joy and all the Fruits of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22)?  Want to simplify your life by eliminating meaningless clutter and becoming driven by what really matters?  

Make Your Ambition the Unselfish Pursuit of God.

As you chase after God’s Heart, His Blessings will chase after you! (Matthew 6:33; Psalms 84:11 and Psalm 23, Especially Verse 6)

I Will Pursue God’s Love and Guidance!

Proverbs 29:8... Who Do You Look Like?

    ⁸ Mockers stir up a city, 
       but the wise turn away anger.

-Proverbs 29:8

As a child, whenever my parents introduced me to their friends, a weird ritual would take place...  My new adult acquaintance would study my face and say to my parents, “He looks just like you.”  My mother and father (faking surprise or maybe they really forgot someone else said the same thing 3 hours before) would ask, “You think so?”  At that point more study took place and the curious adult would ascribe each of my facial features to one of my parents.

Displaying God's DNA

While that ritual seemed odd as a child, I have come to learn that this practice is somewhat universal.  In fact, parents seem to find it complimentary!  There’s a special kind of pride a mom or dad feels upon hearing people say, “That baby looks just like you!”  Proverbs 29:8 prompted me to realize that 'God the Father' feels the same way about us.  

The Lord wants people to see us and say things like…

“That’s a child of God!”

“Did you see how well she remained calm in the heated conversation?  She must be a Christian!”

“Did you see what he did for that stranger in need?  He has a heart just like his Heavenly Father!”

(See Matthew 5:43-48 and Ephesians 5:1-6)

What Do You Want to Be Called?

 Proverbs 29:8 identifies an opportunity we encounter daily to reflect our Heavenly Father’s wisdom and love.  The scripture says, “Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger.”  Whereas mockers relish the chance to fan the flames of confusion, the wise (i.e. Children of God) desire to create peace. 

Jesus said, “⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  (See Matthew 5:9)

Our neighborhoods, workplaces and churches are full of troubled people.  Think about the number of folks encountering marital strife, financial woes and work related stress?  These situations all represent opportunities to labor as “peacemakers.”

Being a Peacemaker 

Here are a few ways to serve as a peacemaker….

• Model God’s Peace…  When we became Christians, God did not make us immune to life’s challenges.  We still encounter tough situations.  These situations are opportunities to display God’s peace in our lives.  Trials allow us to show our confidence in God’s ability to transform tough circumstances into beneficial outcomes.  (See John 16:33, James 1:2-4 and Romans 8:28)

• Speak God’s Peace…  We encounter people that are frustrated by something daily.  Use these instances to share a comforting word, thought or scripture.  Today a co-worker told me that a loved one was in a difficult situation.  I asked the person’s name and shared that I’d remember the person in my prayers.  My act affirmed the power of prayer.  Allow people to experience God’s presence and peace through your encouraging words and actions.  Your peace filled words could reap immeasurable results in the life of your listener.   (See Acts 3:1-10)

• Introduce God’s Peace…  Pray for an opportunity to introduce people to Christ.  Many of us have no problem introducing people to talk show gurus, new restaurants or great books but we falter at the thought of introducing them to “Christ as The Answer.”  There's no one in your social network worth meeting more than Jesus!!!  This is an intro your friends will literally be ETERNALLY thankful you made!  (See Matthew 5:14-15 and Mark 8:34-38)

I Want People to See More of God’s Features in Me!

Proverbs 28:1... Building with Boldness

 ¹ The wicked man flees though no one pursues, 

       but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1

Proverbs 28:1 reminds us that as Christians we have no reason to fear life’s challenges.  Why?

God’s "Trade In" Program

God has the Best "Trade In" Program in the universe!  When we accepted Christ as our Savior, we accepted the fact that Jesus literally died (or accepted the penalty) for our sins.  In paying the penalty for our sin’s, the Bible says Jesus made us “righteous” in God’s sight (See 2 Corinthians 5:17-21). 

How’s that for a trade?!  We gave Jesus sin, shame, suffering and death and we received abundant life, adoption into God’s family, the power to positively influence those around us and a new title… Righteous (See John 10:10, Galatians 4:4-7, Matthew 5:13 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).  Hence, when Proverbs 28:1 says, “The righteous are as bold as lions.”  It’s talking about you!

Self Righteousness vs. God’s Righteousness

It’s important not to confuse God’s righteousness with Self Righteousness.  Salvation (i.e. Being made right in God’s sight) is not something we earned.  We could not afford it.  It is a gift from God.  Pure and simple… A gift.  Jesus didn’t die on the cross because he owed us.  He didn’t die on the cross because we were smarter, kinder or cooler than other people.  Nope!  Salvation has nothing to do with anything we did.  It is a gift inspired by God’s love.  If you accepted Christ as Savior, gratitude, thanksgiving and humility are the proper responses not self-righteousness  (See Ephesians 2:8-9).

Adoption into God’s Family

As a result of accepting Christ as our Savior, the Bible also declares that we became Children of God (See John 1:10-13, Romans 8:15-17 and Galatians 4:4-7).  Wow!  God is King!  This means we are members of “Thee Royal Family!”  Being royalty has its privileges and possessing a “powerful, loving, disciplined boldness” is one of them (See 2 Timothy 1:7).

Building an Abundant Life with Godly Boldness

Here are three ways to productively and powerfully leverage the boldness that God has invested in you…

• Boldly Converse with God in Prayer...  Want Advice?  Anxious?  Worried?  Try praying.  God loves talking to us.  There are several scriptures encouraging us to pray at all the times about all matters (See Philippians 4:6 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  God is never too busy for you.  Turn thoughts of worry into conversations with your Heavenly Father.  Instead of thinking, “How am I going to accomplish X, Y and Z?”  Simply pray, “God, I know You know the best way to accomplish X, Y and Z.  Please reveal it to me.”    God not only wants you to pursue Him in prayer… He wants you to boldly approach him in prayer (See Hebrew 4:14-16)

• Boldly Overcome Challenges to Live Victorious and Productive Lives...  Your boldness is a differentiating factor.  Unleash it!  God’s boldness placed in you will motivate you to step up when others are stepping back.  The Bible says that you are more than a conqueror, can do all things and that your relationship with Christ will cause you to be productive (See Romans 8:37, Philippians 4:13 and John 15:1-8).

• Boldy Communicate the Power of Christ in Words and Deeds...  Your boldness will produce results in your life.  Your results will create attention and provide you with influence.  Boldly use that power, attention and influence to live a life that says, “My success is a result of God’s love, direction and grace.  Want to achieve greatness?  Let me introduce you to Jesus!”  It’s the best gift you can give to God, friends and enemies!  (See Matthew 5:13-16)

Today I Will Boldly Approach Every Opportunity and Challenge!    

Proverbs 27:23-27... Maximizing Talent

²³ Know the state of your flocks,

      and put your heart into caring for your herds,
 ²⁴ for riches don’t last forever,
      and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
 ²⁵ After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
      and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
 ²⁶ your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
      and your goats will provide the price of a field.
 ²⁷ And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
      your family, and your servant girls.

Proverbs 27:23-27

While reading Proverbs I stumbled over a fact that’s both exhilarating and inspiring… Here it is…  We are all amazing individuals!!!  That’s right… I am amazing.  You’re are amazing.  Your loved ones are amazing.  Our adversaries are even amazing.  This is probably the reason God tells us to love our enemies!  (See Psalm 139:13-14 and Matthew 5:42-44)

God Did It!

Before my head exploded with the air of self-importance due to my “amazingness,” another fact transformed potential arrogance into humility and gratitude.  We are amazing for one reason… God made us.  As Christians the Bible assures us that..

• We are God’s Workmanship (See Ephesians 2:10).
• We each have Good (and God-Centered) Purposes (See Ephesians 2:10).
• We have all been Equipped with Everything We Need to Achieve an Abundant Life (Philippians 4:19; Hebrews 13:20-21 and Philippians 4:13).

    
God’s Done His Part…. Now It's Our Turn!

If the above is true, why aren't we all experiencing victorious lives?  The answer is captured in a concept called “Talent Management. ”  While God has given each of us very specific skills and gifts, our job is to manage those talents in a way that maximizes them (See Romans 12:4-8).  Being "amazing" is ordinary but being "effective" is great (See Matthew 20:25-28).  Great people focus on maximizing their gifts!

Maximizing Your Talents

Proverbs 27:23-27 provides a crash course in Maximizing our Talents.  This text tells us we can make the most of our gifts by…

• Taking a Realistic Inventory… Proverbs 27:23 encourages us to “Know the state of [our] flocks…”  In other words, identify your strengths and maximize them.  Understand your short comings and overcome them.  While you may never be the best at your shortcomings, you can improve them to a satisfactory level.  This will ensure that your current weaknesses do not become permanent limitations.   While dealing with weaknesses is important, you’ll want to spend the majority of your time building upon your strengths. 

Identifying Your Strengths
What are your strengths?  What comes easily to you?  What do you do in a special way that can’t be taught?  It may be speaking, singing, listening, analyzing, sewing, encouraging, advising, organizing, assisting…  God has blessed us all with special gifts.  Make sure you are not overlooking or undervaluing any of yours.  

• Passionately Refine Your Gifts… The second part of Proverbs 27:23 says, “…Put your heart into caring for your herds.”  This essentially means make the most of your talents.  Once you indentify your gifts, passionately develop them.  If you’re naturally a good speaker, practice will make will make you a great one.  If you’re naturally a good advisor, investing in the right courses  will make you a better one.  Gifts are diamonds in the rough.  They must be polished and developed (See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

• Look Past the “Middle” and Focus on the “After.”  Proverbs 27:25 says, “After you have…[identified your talents and developed them],” you will start to reap the fruits of effectiveness.  Here’s the problem… A lot of people start strong but somewhere in “the middle” they lose sight of the “after.”  The “after” represents both the reasons and the rewards.  Marathoners don’t run to simply experience exhaustion, leg cramps and muscle pain.  No… If someone successfully completes a marathon, it’s because they never lost sight of one thing… Crossing the Finish Line (See Hebrew 12:1-13)!

Jesus: The Ultimate Talent Maximizer  

Jesus identified His purpose and talents (See Luke 2:41-50). He utilized them again and again and again (See Matthew 4:23-25).  Simply put, He passionately developed them. During the toughest “middle” ever (i.e. Crucifixion) he focused on the “after” which was defeating death and giving you and I the right to have abundant life and a relationship with God the Father (See Philippians 2:5-11 and Ephesians 1:5)!

Jesus is the “After” to focus on!  When all else fails, look to Him to get you back online, back in line and to the finish line (See Philippians 3:12-14)!

Today I will Maximize the Gifts that God has Given Me!

Proverbs 26:2 ... Reputation Management

² Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

Proverbs 26:2

What do companies like Coca-Cola, BMW and Nike all have in common?   They each spend a fortune on branding.  Why?  Because these companies understand the power of a good name.  Coca-Cola sells a lot of sodas because they have convinced us that “Coke is it!”  BMW sells a lot of cars because in our minds they produce “The Ultimate Driving Machine.”  And Nike sells a lot of sports apparel because whatever our sport, Nike allows us to “Just Do It!”

A Good Name…

Like the companies above, each of us values a good name.  And if we do not, we should.  Proverbs 22:1 tells us, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”  Therefore, when we are the target of unwarranted criticism, the subject of malicious gossip, or forced to be the villain in someone else’s drama…

We experience pain, frustration, disappointment and even anger (See Psalm 35).  We tend to feel that the value of our good name has been significantly diminished.  While it is tempting to feel that all is lost (or at least some of it), Proverbs 26:2 reminds us that it’s not.

Lies and Unfair Character Attacks are Ineffective Weapons

Proverbs 26:2 points out that an “underserved curse” does not come to rest.  Here’s the way I picture this verse…

A lie or an unfair attack on your character is like a nuclear missile being launched with the intent to harm you.  When’s it launched, people notice it.   

Yet, Proverbs 26:2 confirms that there’s no need to worry because unfair attacks are like missiles that lose their power before they ever hit their target.

Reputation Management

Here are few things to remember when experiencing unfair attacks on your reputation…

• Unfair Attacks are Aimed at the Best of People.  The Bible has many instances of upright men and women being the targets of lies (See Genesis 39, Exodus 16:1-3 and 1Samuel 17:1-29).  Even Jesus, the Sinless Son of God, was the subject of unfounded accusations.  Jesus was accused of Blasphemy (i.e. Having no Respect or Reverence for God – See Matthew 9:1-8); Hanging out  with the Wrong Crowd  (See Matthew 9:9-13) and Relying Upon Demonic Powers  to Achieve Success (See Matthew 9:27-43)

• The Truth Will Prevail.  Truth lives forever.  Lies have a short life span.  (See Proverbs 12:19)

• God is Still in Control.  Unfounded and Unjust Attacks provide an opportunity for God to…
• Reveal His Power (See Acts 16:16-40)
• Repair Relationships (See Proverbs 16:7)
• Restore You and Your Reputation (See Isaiah 54:17; 1 Peter 3:8-9; 1 Peter 2:21-23 and Matthew 16:24-25)

I Will Trust God to Establish, Develop and Protect My Character and Reputation!

Proverbs 25:26... The Importance of Spiritual Hygiene

²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

Proverbs 25:26

There is nothing that annoys me more than dust! 

Sin is a Bit Like Dust...

I spend all day cleaning my house and the next day (if the light hits the furniture correctly), what do I see?   Dust!  Dust is like sin… It never stops seeping into my house (See Genesis 4:7).  While we can live with dust, the one thing we cannot tolerate is unconfessed sin. 

Proverbs 25:26 warns us about the impact of sin.  It reminds us that sin is a pollutant that threatens to retard, limit or destroy our spiritual growth. 

Sin's Like Yeast...

Jesus compared sin to yeast in bread (See Matthew 16:5-12).  Yeast is the ingredient that causes bread to rise.  Dough without yeast produces flat crackers.  Jesus’ metaphor was meant to convey a point worth remembering… Just as it only takes a small amount of yeast to impact a whole batch of dough, it only takes a small amount of sin to negatively alter the progression our spiritual lives.

The Impact of Unconfessed Sin 

The affect of sin is tremendous…  Here are a few examples of the way it “muddies our wells."  Sin causes...

• Moral Apathy (See Hebrews 3:12-13),
• Decreased Productivity (or Spiritual Effectiveness),
• Increased Guilt  (See Psalm 32:1-5),
• And the Most Serious of all… A Broken Fellowship with God (See 1 John 1:5-7). 

The Bad News about Sin...

• Sin Impacts Us All (See 1 John 1:8-10)
• Sin is a Serious Threat... (See Romans 6:23)

The Good News is…

God tells us the way to handle sin in our lives!  The answer is to have great "Spiritual Hygiene."  Here are the basic steps to ensuring that unconfessed sin does not accumulate in your life...

• Know Jesus Christ is the Answer… He’s Paid the Cost for Us to be Free from Sin (See Isaiah 53:5-6; John 8:31-34; Romans 3:21-26; and Romans 5:6-11)

• Make Confession Part of You Daily and Ongoing Spiritual Routine… When Jesus taught us to pray, confession was an important part of the model (See 1 John 1:9 and Matthew 6:5-15)

• Allow God to be Your Strength… Once you confess your sins, fill your heart, soul and mind with God’s Word (See Matthew 4:1-11; Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrew 12:1-4) 

I Will Exercise My Right to God’s Forgiveness!