Stubborn Sinner

Press Play to listen…

• Focus Scripture Matthew 12:30 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

Sin or the act of sin (which is the sinner) is defined as one who keeps missing the mark in his relationship with God. In Matthew 12:30 we understand that Christ was being discredited by the religious leaders because so many were following and aligning with His message of salvation and believing Him to be the Son of God. In 1 Corinthians 15:34 Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about their sin against God, they were denying the resurrected Christ. Using these scriptures lets ask ourselves- what are we stubbornly denying? We can be in denial financially, spiritually, mentally, and or physically. One of my denials was my mental and physical health. I did not want to own the fact that I needed to be more mindful of the aches, pains, and what I put in my temple. The things I absorbed mentally would manifest itself physically as would the types of food I ate. If I overate and did not exert any energy to warrant the calories I was in taking I wasn’t eating to live. If I binge watched salacious reality shows laced with worldly views I was depleting my spirit of the nourishment it needed daily. I had to live with the consequence of being stuck, not getting ahead spiritually, but mostly I felt like a failure. In a previous post,(Truth on a Thursday) I shared a little bit about my depression and how through God’s grace and mercy I am able to be here today.

As God continues to move in my life, I am grateful that not only am I learning more about God’s purpose for me; He is using me in all my imperfections. How did I get to this point? First I acknowledged I had a problem, second I owned the fact I could not heal alone, third I humbled myself before God and cried out to Him to save me from my fleshly ways and create a clean heart within me. As I prayed I received confirmation that I was not alone and that no matter how much I sinned God would be there for me. God’s reassurance that He never left nor forsook me gave me the encouragement I needed to seek Him even more. I knew there would be consequences for my sin but I was equipped with His Word and could go forward boldly owning my past mistakes. I don’t live in the past nor do I allow Satan to deter me from the goals that God has set ahead.

What are the consequences of your sin? There will be some things in your life that will never be the same because of the wrongs you’ve committed against God. Yes, there are those you have hurt in the process and they are the victims of your selfish desires but ultimately you have sinned against our Creator. We have sinned against our Creator. What do you do about it? Do you cry out, pray, or have you become so desensitized by this world that you have simply given up?

God wants all of us in our brokenness. He wants us to depend on Him and to come Him. But, what if we are too stubborn to see it? When we put blinders on and allow Satan to rule over our daily bread we give control to the demonic entity that has proven over and over that all it wants to do is kill, steal, and destroy. God is our bread if we abide in Him. (John 6:51-56) Take a moment and think about the life you’re living right now. How much peace do you have in it? The Word teaches us that we will not avoid the sorrows of this world but will be given the strength to endure and have joy while doing so. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 God’s grace is sufficient.

If in your current circumstances you cannot find joy or see the great blessings that have been provided to you through Christ’s provisions it’s time to think seriously about your direction. We can walk in the Light and become wiser and more knowledgeable. Psalm 51:1-19 further helps us pray when we feel distant from God because of our sin.  We learn we can seek God with a repentant heart and He can restore and cleanse us of our iniquity.

If you have not found God in all that you do, dear Brothers and Sisters its time. While we may not be able to help each other through every single issue, God can. While we may not see a way out of our current circumstances, God can. With God, we are so much more than this world tells us. In our stubbornness, we may be hindering our loved ones or even ourselves of the salvation of Christ. I urge each of us to stand firm against the enemies attacks and take ownership for the sins we have committed against God. We can continue to play the victim looking at the past and holding grudges or we can repent and seek God’s forgiveness. We can then forgive ourselves and operate in that forgiveness by treating others with grace. Our burdens can be lifted and we will be at peace. We will know when demons are trespassing and pray accordingly. We can become powerful pray warriors and disciples of Christ if we allow His Word to become part of our hearts.

~Torrie

Journal Prompts

1. What is my stubborn, obstinate, arrogant pride keeping, me from?
2. Am I able to turn from sin or do I find a different way to do it?
3. Am I seeking God for my mood, mindset, and attitude?
4.  Where does my help come from?

© Torrie Slaughter, Torrie Slaughter Photography and http://www.ourgivenpurpose.com 2018-2048. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Torrie Slaughter, Torrie Slaughter Photography, and http://www.ourgivenpurpose.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.