Hola, world! I don't know about ya'll, but I am SO GRATEFUL the weekend is almost here! I am so glad I am done with school. It's just been one of those weeks where it's just DRAGGED ON AND ON! Ok, I'm done venting. Moving on...
TOPIC: WHAT IS SIN? WHAT IS PRAYER?
Sin! The dreaded attack from Satan that has doomed God's perfect world from the very beginning! Ok, that's not very positive, but it is the truth. Sin is rejecting and ignoring God. It is what separates us from God. It is Satan's attack on us. Sin holds man under it's authority. "It is a living, active, forceful and dynamic power that has man under its sway" according to John Ritenbaugh. BUT, God sent His son Jesus to die a HORRIBLE death so that the HOLY SPIRIT can come and live INSIDE of us! Now, can we keep God's law perfectly just because we have the Holy Spirit in us? No! There is still sin inside us, but the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and with that nudge we need to pray and confess our sins to God. Well what is prayer?
Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God in a loving, grateful and submitting attitude. The Bible can direct us in what we should pray. The model prayer is what Jesus prayed in Luke 11:2-4 "He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ” Jesus prayed many. many times in the Bible. It is our way of talking to God on a personal level. He is our Father and we are his treasure children who He planned before the world even began. Even though sin hurts God, we have the Holy Spirit, prayer and God's eternal forgiveness to let us have a personal relationship with the creator of the universe.
Dwight L. Moody put it in perspective for me: "The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible"
Acts 2:38- "Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Ephesians 6:18- "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
BOTTOM LINE: Sin is rejecting God, but if we are in tune with the Holy Spirit and confess those sins then God will forgive us no matter the sin.
And the verse, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will with the temptation also provide a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it" - with every temptation, God ALWAYS provides a way of escape. The two are inseparable - if you are tempted, look for the way of escape that comes with it.