I was ready to board a plane when my flight was cancelled due to engine failure. Unable to get on another flight, I had to wait until the next day. Because of my travel woes, the airline paid for my overnight stay at a nearby hotel. I was exhausted and ready for a good night’s sleep, but I wasn’t able to rest well because of the jarring sound of jet engines. Perhaps if I lived right near an airport, I’d be used to the sound of jets taking off and landing and would sleep right through the night!
Similarly, we can become so accustomed to ignoring sin that it fades into the background, and we grow increasingly numb to it. And if we continue down the path of ignoring sin instead of confessing it, we’re in danger of bringing “sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30). Having a deadened conscience would mean that we would no longer clearly hear the alarm bells of our conscience accusing or warning us of wrongdoing. Eventually, we wouldn’t even feel guilty for the sin we’re committing, having become completely insensitive to it.
How do we avoid this dangerous progression? A primary way is to follow the example of the psalmist who wrote: “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). The Holy Spirit can use Scripture hidden in our hearts to expose sin and prick our consciences.
The Spirit also uses others to help us see our sin. Paul had to confront Peter about his hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11-14). It’s crucial for us to be reminded that we have been “crucified with Christ. It is no longer [we] who live, but Christ lives in [us]” (Galatians 2:20). In His power, we can confront hidden sins.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Kings 5:1-27
More:
Read Colossians 3:5 and consider what we are to put to death.
Next:
How have you been trying to deal with your sin? How has the Holy Spirit been working through God’s Word and others to expose it?
don777 on April 25, 2017 at 5:28 am
It is so easy to get caught up in law. Am i so worried about crossing my t’s & dotting my i’s that I don’t have joy? Well then crank up the music, put my focus upon Jesus & start dancing. 🙂 🙂 🙂 +>i
godlove on April 25, 2017 at 5:29 am
For many years now I have been dealing with sinful habits, and I’m glad that I seem to have finally taken the path to healing that I for so long prayed for. My sins were not exposed by others, but the Holy Spirit convicted me about it, inviting me to confession and repentance. I’m very grateful to God for not having allowed me to become numb and insensitive to my sins, especially during the season some years back when (although having already accepted Christ as my Saviour), I let myself to follow the sinful cravings of the flesh, leading myself down a path from which it has been very difficult for me to get out of. It caused me so much pain and fear to know that I was causing sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit living in me and I prayed Psalm 51 countless times with particular focus on Psalm 51:11. In my personal battle against sin, I tried to improve on my spiritual life through Scripture reading, praying and fasting about my sins. I am so grateful that God has been gracious to me and He has slowly worked in me, using my “godly sorrow” (2 Corinthians 7:10) to bring me closer to Him as I have learnt to know Him better and I’ve built a closer relationship with Him through it. I know Christ Jesus has already won the battle for me through His death on the cross and resurrection, and so I come before God with my conscience cleared of guilt, praying that He may help me stick to the path of deliverance from my sinful habits which I have found at last, that I may permanently put to death all earthly things lurking within me. Thank you for this very timely message today Marlena, blessings to you and to all on here.
sandy229 on April 25, 2017 at 9:29 am
I know how you feel godlove, for years I felt so trapped in my sin, and guilt and shame, it was hard to pull myself out of it. Then when I realized I could not do it on my own, I trusted God to do it for me, but I couldn’t understand why God would still love me after everything I did and I just wanted to punish myself, but we cannot do it without the help of the Holy Spirit because we have to understand that it is just as impossible to maintain your relationship with God through works as it is to earn it in the first place. Galatians 3:1-11. The truth is, we don’t deserve anything from God but because He loves us so much, he gave us Christ and we were buried with Christ so that He could live through us. As long as we have a conscience, it means the Holy Spirit lives in us, and is constantly telling us to forget the past and live for Jesus, there is no condemnation for those who love Christ Jesus, so we can’t stay on a guilt trip just because we think we deserve it. The truth is we do deserve it but by the Grace of God we are forgiven.
Monica Brands on April 25, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Thanks for sharing this, godlove.
Tom Felten on April 25, 2017 at 10:09 am
Marlena, I so appreciate this sentence: “The Spirit also uses others to help us see our sin.” I’ve experienced this as I’ve seen (and heard) how my sin has affected others. Praise God for brothers and sisters in Jesus who will lovingly confront us when they see us slipping into sin. May we do the same for them!
sandy229 on April 25, 2017 at 10:13 am
That’s so true Tom, sometimes we see how our sin has effected others, so it’s not just ourselves we are hurting, but we are hurting those around us, and sometimes we don’t see it until it has already happened. It’s good to have an accountability partner sometimes, so we don’t put pride into justifying our sin.
sandy229 on April 25, 2017 at 10:09 am
If we can earn salvation by obedience to the Law, then the Cross is redundant. Justification through observing the Law or a code s impossible. Receive God’s gift of justification through faith. Galatians 2:16
We should not change, amend, distort, or add to the Good News. Galatians 1:6-9
We died with Christ so that Christ can live through us. Galatians 2:19-21
It is just as impossible to maintain your relationship with God through works as it is to earn it in the first place. Galatians 3:1-11
So we should continually walk in faith. Recognize and believe in the certainty for victory for those who endure to the end. Galatians 6:9
Faith accepts God’s testimony in a trusting, childlike manner, and salvation as a free gift. The Law was given to lead us to Christ; thus, any use of the Law as a means of earning our salvation is a distortion. By nature mankind presumes to seek salvation by works. It seems offensive to the flesh to believe we cannot. But God’s Word says it is an offense to Him to believe we can.
Monica Brands on April 25, 2017 at 12:52 pm
Thanks for such an important message, Marlena. I’m also impressed with what you note, how helpful Christian community can be in helping us see our unaddressed sin. Sometimes it is isolation that keeps us so trapped in our own addictions and faults, but when we are rooted in relationship with other believers, we can be inspired and convicted on where we need to grow in our faith walk. When we are in such relationships, we are often held “accountable” on so many things, even if it doesn’t come to the point where we need to be verbally confronted.