Dear reader, please understand that what I am about to say is not to judge or condemn you but to point you towards Jesus. I am not a perfect person and I have no right or place to judge anyone. I will however come to tell you the truth which is always the goal with this blog. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Because the Lord our God loves us so much, He keeps coming back around giving us chance after chance to get ourselves right before Him. Don’t miss this opportunity to change and turn from your ways.
Let me bring you to the story of the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11. Jesus was in the temple teaching when the Pharisees came and brought a woman to him who was caught in the act of adultery. They brought her for the sole purpose of testing Jesus to see if he would condemn and stone her in keeping with the law. Then Jesus pretty much said that whoever has never sinned can throw the first stone. The only thing they could do at that point was drop their stones and walk away. Then Jesus turned to the woman and told her to simply go and sin no more. That is what repentance is, recognizing areas of our life where we have sinned and then turning away from that sin. Only Jesus can judge you, forgive you, and then set you free without condemnation.
That being said, I would like to encourage you to repent. I know that’s a word that many people do not like, especially believers who think that because they repented when they got saved, then they don’t need to repent again. But please understand that this is very important. Repentance should be a daily thing. I mentioned before in another post that we all are sinners no matter what (Romans 3:23). Therefore, we must be willing to look within ourselves daily and recognize areas of our lives where we know we have sinned and repent. We cannot become so puffed up with pride in thinking that we don’t sin. If you don’t know what sins you have been committing then ask God to reveal them to you and he will show you. Then, you can take responsibility for your actions by repenting and seeking God on how to do better going forward. Do not let the world confuse you and make you think that repentance and changing from your ways is bad. The world pushes being whoever you want to be and that people just need to accept you for who you are while the true gospel convicts you to change your ways. Yes, Jesus died on the cross for us and we are forgiven but don’t abuse his love and continue doing what you want (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). Now that you have been saved and set free, honor God by loving Him with all your heart (Matthew 22:37). Loving God means completely surrendering to Him in the keeping of His commandments and yes it is hard for us to be perfect but still try your best to change. Allow God to transform your heart and renew your mind so that you can be made new. Then, while you are still struggling with certain sins, repent until you completely learn to stop committing that sin. Then give God the glory a year later when you look back and realize that you do not commit certain sins anymore because this is how God works in our lives to show us who He is. This is a key part to spiritual growth and maturity as it grows your faith.
“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”
1 Peter 2:1-3 NLT
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