Confessing Sin

 James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Many Bible translations use the word sin in place of fault. The root interpretation of sin is to miss the mark, to come short of God’s perfection. The fall of Adam and Eve changed the nature of humanity. The human body is now subject to failure and shortcomings. We often say, “We are not perfect, we are all still human.” We still deal with human weaknesses. As humans, we still make mistakes and errors from doing everything perfectly, but our hearts can always be faultless before God. Scripture says that Christians cannot sin, (1 John 3:9). Yet, it is possible for a believer to still commit sin. But, if we want to remain in Christ, we will not live a life of sinning.  Satan knows our weaknesses and vulnerabilities and will exploit them, causing us to fall. Temptation to sin would not be temptation if it were not possible to transgress the laws of God. Giving our heart in full surrender in sanctification, letting the Holy Spirit take residence in our heart will give us the ability to resist the temptations of Satan. Confession is made possible by restoring one back to fellowship with God. “And if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” (1 John 2:1). If we also confess our sins one to another, the prayer of other believers God will hear and heal broken fellowship. It is not God’s will that Christians fall when tempted. He has made a way of escape. It is not His will that Christians live in sin, but His will that they be delivered from sin. Thank God, He has provided grace and mercy to them that seek and ask forgiveness. We need not despair, get up, face your fault or sin, confess, and move forward with God.

What is Sin?

 2 Samuel 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight?

Sin, a total discard to yield to the commandments of the Lord. When did David’s action become sin? At what point did David disobey the commandment of the Lord? Some would say it was when King David stayed home from the battle, or when he went to his roof top and his eyes were fixed on Bathsheba. It might have been when he took that second glance. Jesus said, whosever looks on a women to lust after her has committed adultery in his heart. David’s action did not become sin until his desire overcame his knowledge to do what was right. We face decisions everyday to do what is right. Some of those decisions are clear cut because God has already revealed in His word what is right and what is wrong. There are other choices that we make that are neither right or wrong, but are made with good intentions and current knowledge. We might find out later, that it was not the right choice, it was a mistake, but this is not sin. To him who knows to do right and does it not, to him it is sin. Let us always walk in the light, be led the the Spirit, that we may always do what is right in the sight of God.

Fervent Love

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

We all fall short from perfection. God is able to keep us blameless from willful transgressions, but we are still human with shortcomings in our personality, judgements and habits. In this respect we will never be perfect. Satan seeks to divide the people of God by causing friction and discord among the believers. Peter had his share of conflicts. His own prejudices caused Paul to confront his misjudgment. We will face situations in our lives where we will not understand the actions of others. We can become frustrated and resentful. In times like these, it is imperative that we asked the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His perfect love. Fervent love that will cover the wrong doings of others. Let love reign, casting away all forms of bitterness and hatred.  

Trouble Days

Psalm 86:7 “In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me.”- 

Every generation has times of trouble. We live in trouble days, problems on every hand. We all face them, some more severe than others. We encounter trouble at work with a co workers or our boss, we may be facing financial trouble paying our bills, meeting our obligations. Because we are human and prone to make mistakes, we sometimes create our own trouble. Getting in trouble is most often due to something we did foolishly or carelessly. Driving too fast will cause us to get in trouble with the law, and we may have to pay a fine. Money out of budget may keep us from making the car payment, the list of trouble continues. Even in times where we drop the ball, we serve a God of mercy, and we can call on Him and He will answer. Troubles will come our way and sometime unexpectedly. It times like this, God will pour out His grace and give us just what we need to face the trouble before us.