Live Unleavened

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8

The Jews ate the Passover meal on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. This meal marked the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasted seven days from the evening of the 14th to the evening of the 21st. Anyone who ate anything leavened during those seven days was cut off from Israel. So, it was very important that on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites removed all leaven from their homes. Historically, Jews have taken this practice very seriously. In fact, it’s traditional Jewish practice to search every corner of the home with a lit candle to ensure that no bits or crumbs of leaven remain.*

Paul draws on that background to argue that the New Testament church lives (figuratively) during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus, our Passover Lamb, has already been slaughtered. His death was the Passover celebration that began the Feast in which we now live in. And this Feast of Unleavened Bread will continue until the church age ends and we eat the Marriage Supper of the Lamb when Jesus returns.

Paul argues then that we are called to “continually celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread every day—not just one week out of the year— [but all our lives] by living in a holy way.”** Paul uses leaven as an analogy for sin, and the implication is that we should search out and remove the old leaven of sin from our lives, from our homes, and from our churches. We are to be an unleavened people, kept as pure and uncontaminated by sin as we can until Jesus returns.

Make no mistake, God calls us individuals and churches to live unleavened lives. To seek out and destroy the sin that festers and grows in the corners of our lives and homes and churches.

So, I have to ask... What sin or sinful residue do you need to clean out of your life? Or out of your home? What do you need to get rid of? Purge it from your life and live unleavened, until Jesus returns.

* Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

** Naselli, Andrew David. “1 Corinthians.” In Romans–Galatians, edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, X:209–394. ESV Expository Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.

Walk by the Spirit

Have you ever felt powerless before your sin... like the temptation to sin was just too strong for you to fight alone? Or, have there been times when you didn’t even feel like fighting temptation? I know I've felt that way. What we need is an ally in our fight against sin. We need someone who is stronger than us and who is stronger than sin to help us defeat the power of sin in our lives. And that's exactly what God gives us in the Holy Spirit.

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Listen to what God promised to do for His people in Ezekiel 36:27 God says, 

“I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” 

God promised that when He put His Spirit in us the Spirit would move us to follow His decrees and keep His laws. God’s Spirit helps you want to obey God! 

We see the same thing in Galatians 5:16-17. ‌‌There the Apostle Paul says....

‌"Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want."

The Holy Spirit in you is in conflict with your sinful flesh and its temptations. It fights against your sinful desires. If you are a believer, then you are not fighting temptation alone any more. You have an ally. Before you got saved all you knew was the pull of temptation. You were drug around by your flesh like a dog on a leash and you weren’t strong enough to fight against it. But now, there is a tug of war inside you. The Spirit in you pulls against the flesh and helps you desire what is right.

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But the Spirit doesn’t just help you desire rightly, it also gives you the power to fight sin. Never forget that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside you and helps you fight sin. You have God’s eternal, limitless power helping you say no to sin. That’s why 1 Corinthians 10:13 can say 

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

No temptation is too strong for you, because you have God’s resurrection power on your side. You can say no to temptation. ‌‌You can win the war against sin in your life. But first you must learn to walk by the Spirit as Galatians 5:16 urges. If you are a believer, then you should live every day with an awareness of the Spirit’s presence in you. You should obey not only God’s Word but also the promptings of His Spirit in you. When the Spirit convicts you of sin, be quick to repent. When the Spirit prompts you to do some good thing, be quick to obey Him. When you are tempted to sin, don’t fight it alone but ask the Spirit for help. Ask Him to help you say no to temptation. Ask Him to change your desires. The Spirit’s presence and power should be a major part of your everyday walk with the Lord.

Not Even a Hint

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.
Ephesians 5:3–7
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We are called to fight the sin in our lives so thoroughly that there wouldn’t even be a hint of it left among us. There shouldn’t even be a hint of sex outside of a monogamous heterosexual marriage in our churches. There shouldn’t even be a hint of any kind of impurity or sin. Not even a hint of greed. Not even a hint of obscene or foolish talk, or coarse joking.

‌Why? This passage gives us two reasons. First, because “these are improper for God’s holy people.” And second because “no immoral, impure or greedy person… has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” In other words, these are the kinds of behaviors that lost people engage in, and it’s because of these behaviors that God’s wrath is coming on the world. ‌You can’t expect to live like a lost person without bringing your salvation into doubt. And you can’t expect to live like a lost person without risking sharing their fate and suffering God’s wrath. 

Now, this passage isn’t saying that anyone who ever commits any of these sins isn’t saved or can’t be saved. If that was the case, then we’d all be bound for Hell. But, what this passage is saying is that anyone who continually lives in ongoing, unrepentant sin like this isn’t saved even if they call themselves a Christian. Saved people just don’t live like that.

Many people think they are saved and treat their salvation as a free pass to sin. But, this passage reveals the hard truth that their sin has blinded them to the very real danger they are in. They can’t see that they aren’t Christians at all. They can’t see that they are actually lost and are storing up wrath for themselves for the day of God’s judgment. And that is a dangerous place to be. Don’t let your sin blind you into thinking you are safe when you are not. A tree is known by its fruit. You can't live like the Devil and think you are safe from God's wrath.

Cleanse Me with Hyssop

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7

Hyssop was a type of plant that God’s people used for ceremonial cleansing. It must have grown in leafy or spriggy bunches allowing Israel to use it almost like a paintbrush. This is the plant they used to paint the blood on their doorposts in Egypt when God struck down all the firstborn. But, more to the point, they also used hyssop to sprinkle people with water in purification ceremonies. You can read about this in Numbers 19 or Leviticus 14. But basically if a person had an infectious skin disease or if they had touched a dead body they were declared unclean and cut off from fellowship with the people and from the sanctuary of God. They had to be cleansed before they could return. The cleansing ceremony involved dipping a bunch of hyssop into water mixed with either sacrificial blood or ashes and then sprinkling it on the person.

Now, we read right over “cleanse me with hyssop” and don’t give it a second thought, but this was a powerful image to the Israelite. David is saying, “I feel unclean. I’m unworthy to come before you, God. I’m as polluted as someone who has touched a dead body or who has leprosy. Make me clean again, Lord, so I can enter Your presence!”

Sin has consequences. It threatens your intimacy with God. David understands this. In verse 11 he asks God, “Don’t cast me out of your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” David is thinking about the king of Israel that came before him, King Saul, whose sin resulted in him being rejected as king and losing the Spirit’s anointing. David doesn’t want the same thing to happen to him, but he fears it will because of his sin.

Even for believers, your sin matters! Your spot in heaven may be secure but your intimacy with God must be maintained. Sin separates you from God. It stuffs cotton in your ears and makes it difficult for you to hear His voice. It smears mud on your eyes and makes it hard for you to see His glory. It turns your heart of flesh into a heart of stone so that you are no longer drawn to love the things of God. And it offends God and makes Him want to move away from you.

So again, I say, your sin matters! Some of you are believers who have no intimacy with God. You have no desire to draw near to Him, and when you do He seems distant from you and you can’t figure out why. There are multiple reasons that can happen, but for many of you it’s because you are sinning against God. He has withdrawn His presence from you because you are spitting in His face day after day after day by willingly sinning against Him. You love money and horde possessions instead of giving generously to care for the poor and build His kingdom. That’s why God is far from you! Or you have pushed Jesus off the throne of your heart and are living in sin by putting sex before marriage, and yet somehow you think that it doesn’t matter. Sin matters! Whatever your sin is, understand that you can’t disobey God and expect Him to bless you and draw near to you like it isn’t happening.

For further reading...

• Psalm 51- Read all of this psalm confession psalm to learn more about sin and forgiveness. 

Take Away My Sins

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 

I John 3:4-6

The Apostle John writes this letter to a church that has been split by false teachers. He writes in part to teach them how to spot false teachers, so they will be better able to defend themselves and their church in the future. John points out that false teachers are set apart from the true people of God by their cavalier attitude towards sin. The false teachers in John’s day seemed to have indulged their flesh in sin and then claimed it didn’t matter because their souls were unaffected by it. False teachers today may use a different rationale, but they often have the same sinfully indulgent lifestyle.

In the verses above, John says, in essence, "Let’s just stop and think about Jesus for a second. How did Jesus feel about sin?" Well, He appeared so that He might take away our sins. This was Jesus' whole purpose for coming was to take away sin. And we know that He Himself had no sin. So, if Jesus has no sin and He takes away others sin, then how could anyone living in Him go on sinning? And John doesn’t mean making a mistake and committing a sin here or there. He is saying that if Jesus is in you, you won't continue in a lifestyle of sin. You won't go on sinning, because Jesus will take away your sins. Not just forgive them but remove them.

Think about that for a moment. Jesus didn’t just come to forgive your sins. He came to remove them from you, to take them away. Jesus was fully committed to this goal, so much so that He willingly died to accomplish it. He died to take away your sins! It isn't enough for you to be forgiven. He wants you to stop sinning! So, you can’t be a Christian and have a cavalier attitude towards sin. You can’t be a Christian and live unchanged. If you are going to follow Jesus, you have to battle against sin...not just in others but in your own heart as well. So, don't just as Jesus to forgive your sins, ask Him to take them away as well.

Hate Evil. Cling to Good. (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

1 John 3:7-8

Be careful. You have an enemy who wants to lead you astray, to somehow lure you off the narrow path into the thorns and briers of spiritual ineffectiveness. One of his favorite means of doing this is to send others into your life to speak his words to you: wolves in sheep's clothing. How can you spot them? Look at their walk. Just as a wolf doesn't walk like a sheep, so a person's walk (their actions) reveals their true character. If they claim to be righteous but don't do right, they're a liar. 

A recent trend has emerged in Christian circles that values authenticity and genuineness more than righteousness. In the name of being "more real" and in an attempt to connect with lost people, Christians are opening up about their sins and often even curse openly. 

Honesty is good. Of all the people on earth Christians have the least to hide because of the unfathomable grace that has been afforded us through Christ Jesus. And Scripture tells us that we ought to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). But when we openly name our sin it should be done in repentance. We don't wear our sins as a badge of pride to show how "real" we are in an attempt to win the lost. We dare not use filthy or vulgar language (which Scripture speaks against in Ephesians 4:29) in an attempt to be edgier than other Christians. Certainly we know by now that this world will not be won for Jesus by Christians who have become more like the world they are trying to save. 

No! There is nothing righteous about sin. There is nothing admirable about it. The entire reason that Jesus came to earth was to destroy the devil's work, and to do so especially in us. He died in order to sanctify the hearts and lives of believers. We cannot, we dare not coddle our sin, brag about it, use it to grow our churches, or give sin any refuge or foothold in our lives. To do so is a slap in the face to Jesus and His finished work on the cross. Jesus gave His life to free us from the enemy's grasp, to rescue us from sin. Let us never make light of the sin the remains in us. Let us openly confess that sin to one another, but let us hate even the garment stained by it (Jude 23). And as we lead the way in honesty let us all the more lead the way in mourning over our sin, repenting of it and pursuing life change. May Romans 12:9 light our path: "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." So be sincere, but not at the cost of hating evil or clinging to what is good. 

Don't be like Cain

Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.

I John 3:11-12

Don’t be like Cain! Cain didn’t love his brother. In fact, he allowed the sin in his life to cause him to hate Abel. And even though Abel had done no wrong, Cain struck out at him and killed him. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this same dynamic play out in churches… minus the actual act of killing. Sin in your life will make you hate other believers and it will make you think it’s their fault when you do. 

Over and over again I have seen Christians get angry at other believers who they think they are judging them. But what’s really happening is this. When they get around a righteous man or woman of God, their conscience convicts them of their sin and they feel guilty. But they project that guilt onto someone else. They think “I must feel guilty when I’m around that person because they’re judging me.” So they strike out in anger at a perfectly innocent and righteous brother or sister in Christ.

Be careful or you will fall into this trap! Be on your guard against sin in your life. Don't give it even a foothold. And when the Holy Spirit does convict you of your sin, respond with repentance and thankfulness not an evil attitude of hatred for your brothers and sisters in Christ who are more righteous than you are. Don't let your sin cause you to hate other believers. We don’t need any more Cain’s in our churches.

Love Jesus Not Sin

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me."

John 14:23-24

Sin is an offense against God. Any time we disobey Him, disregard His Word, or violate His righteous requirements we sin. No matter how big or how small the infraction, sin is always an attack on God. It is always an offense and is tantamount to treason. It pulls God down off the throne in our hearts and sets us up in His place. Sin is like spitting in God's face. This is why sin separates us from God and incurs His wrath.

As Christians we understand this, yet there are times we still sin. To show how our sin springs from a lack of love as the verses above suggest, allow me to divide all sin into two broad categories: unintentional and intentional sin. 

Unintentional sin occurs on accident. It happens when we mess up or make a mistake. For example, a person sins unintentionally when they lose their temper or when they accidentally curse or when they forget to keep a promise. These sins don't result from a choice of the will but from a defect in character. Yet, they are sin still. Unintentional sins are still dishonoring to God. They are still an offense to His perfect nature. And they spring from a deficiency of love. The more we love Christ, the more attentive we will be to His teaching and to our character. The more we love Him, the more careful we will be to root unintentional sins out of our lives. The Christian who continues to struggle against these sins loves Christ too little.

Intentional sin is different; it happens on purpose. A Christian sins intentionally when they know what they ought to do, they know what Jesus has commanded they do, they know that disobedience will grieve their Lord and separate them from Him and they simply do not care. They consciously choose to sin against God anyway. It's unthinkable that a Christian could do such a thing, but sadly we do. And the only explanation is that in those moments we are choosing sin over Jesus. When we sin intentionally, we acknowledge that we love our sin more than we love Jesus. Satan will try to make you believe otherwise, but this in an inescapable truth of the Christian life. 

If you are choosing sin over Christ, then you do not love Him enough. If you continue to fall into sin unintentionally then you do not yet love Him enough. None of us love Christ enough. Until the day I die it will be appropriate for me to pray, "Lord, help me to love you more." Join me in praying that prayer today. And more than that join me in living it out. Love God more than you love your sin today

Wickedness Burns

Surely wickedness burns like a fire;

it consumes briers and thorns,

it sets the forest thickets ablaze,

so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke. 

(Isaiah 9:18)

It's amazing to think that the wildfires which periodically ravage forests in Colorado, California and the Pacific Northwest all start off small. They burn hundreds or even thousands of acres. They force families from their homes. They kill wildlife. But in the beginning, they are small enough to stamp out with your foot. You could prevent all that damage with a single glass of water if you were there early enough. But sadly we often don't notice these fires until they get big, and by that time, it's often too late to do anything about them.

This Scripture tells us that wickedness burns just like a forest fire. It's just as destructive. Sin will ravage your home. It will send your family away. It will take everything you hold dear away from you and leave a path of destruction in its wake. 

But, just like forest fires, we often don't notice our sin until its too late. Our sin looks so small to us. We can't bring ourselves to think it can really do any harm. We think we've got it under control, so we turn our back on it...and there in the background of our lives, it burns. While you aren't paying attention to it, your sin grows and spreads and gains destructive power. If you aren't careful one day you'll turn around and it'll be too late. Your materialism, your lust, your addiction, or your selfishness will have grown too big for you. It will be blazing out of control, and you'll have to watch it destroy everything you hold dear.

Hear this warning of Scripture before it's too late. "Wickedness burns like a fire! It sets the forest ablaze." So be vigilant! Remove wickedness far from you. Don't hold burning embers against your chest. Cast them away! Harbor no sin or deceit. Give no quarter to your enemy. Make no provision for wickedness in your life. Ask God to help you see the sin you harbor today, and turn it over to Him.

Runaway Child

Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights... And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah 1:17 & 2:10

Why did God provide the fish? It's a simple question, but it's one you may not have thought about. 

Certainly you remember Jonah's story! God told the prophet to go to Nineveh to preach to them, but Jonah couldn't bear the thought that they might turn from their wickedness, repent and be forgiven, so He disobeyed His God. He ran. He boarded a ship sailing in the opposite direction. 

The thing about sin though, is that always brings a storm into our lives. For Jonah it was a literal storm. The Almighty bore down on that ship with a storm was so powerful that the ship threatened to break apart. The sailors threw everything they could overboard and prayed to every deity they could think of to try to keep the ship from sinking. Finally, Jonah told them it was his fault. He told them that if they didn't throw him overboard into the sea the weight of his sin would sink their ship. These good sailors didn't want to do it, but because of the power of the storm they relented and cast Jonah into the sea. 

Which brings us back to our question. Why did God provide a fish to swallow Jonah? To save him! To bring Jonah back to God! 

You see, God discipline's His children like a Father discipline's the son he loves. If God wanted to kill Jonah, He would have had him drown. God didn't do that because punishing Jonah wasn't His purpose. He wasn't punishing Jonah, He was disciplining Jonah and bringing him back to Himself. This is a minor but important difference. God wasn't trying to get even with Jonah or pay him back for his sin. He was trying to get his attention and place him back on the narrow way. That's why God provided a big fish instead of a watery grave. 

Remember that the next time you think God is out to get you. If you are one of His children, it may very well be that He is...out to get you and bring you back to Himself. God chases down His runaway children just like any good Father would. But when will we learn to stop running away?

Cheering Sin from the Cheap Seats

Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul...And Saul approved of their killing him.

Acts 7:58 & 8:1

My wife and I have reached that stage of life where you start watching more shows on PBS. Maybe it's because I'm boring or maybe it's just that I don't like what's on the other channels, but there are several shows that I actually like on PBS now. If you have ever watched any of these shows they end with the same message tagged at the end. "This program was made possible by generous donations from the..." and then they list the names of all the foundations and rich people who helped fund the show. After all the important people have been named, they end with this "and by the support of your local PBS station by viewers like you." At the end of every show they remind us that these shows wouldn't be possible without the viewers' support. 

It occurred to me today that sin is much the same way. I don't mean that sin would go away entirely without support, but it does rather seem to thrive on an audience doesn't it? How often are you guilty of cheering sin on from the cheap seats?

We tend to come down rather hard on Saul for standing by in approval of Stephen's martyrdom, and for good reason. Saul didn't just approve of it, he actually guarded the coats of those who were killing Stephen (Acts 22:20). He supported it! We come down hard on Saul for this, but how often have we stood by in support of sin in our own way? How often do we still do so?

When was the last time you doubled over laughing at someone's joke that was only funny because of filthy language or content? You can't tell me that doesn't encourage them to tell more jokes like that. Comedy clubs are full of people who are only as funny as they are filthy. Or how about the TV shows and movies that you watch. How many of them do you watch not in spite of the small amount of worldly content in them, but precisely because you enjoy the vulgarity, violence, nudity, and sexual content? Or how many times do you fail to be salt and light to your lost friends and instead choose to live vicariously through them by drinking in all their stories from their wild nights?

Approving of sin is sin. Don't stand by and witness it. Don't support it or make it easier for others to do it. Keep your mind, your heart, and your life clean from such filth. Be set apart and holy to the Lord. As Ephesians 5:3-4 says, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." When our lives match up with these verses, we will find that another barrier in our relationship with the Lord has fallen, and we will be that much more like Christ.

Pet Sins

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 

I John 1:5-7

There once was a little boy who loved snakes. A pet snake was all he wanted for his birthday. His parents were a bit squeamish but they acquiesced and got him a snake which the pet store said was a ball python. The little boy couldn’t have been happier. He loved and cared for his snake and it grew to be rather large, over 7 feet long in fact. And then one day the snake stopped eating. The boy tried everything to get the snake to eat, but nothing worked. So after a time he took it to the vet. 

The vet listened carefully as the boy explained the situation. Then he asked the boy some questions. He asked whether the snake ever slept by him at night. The boy replied that it did. Then the vet asked if it ever snuggled close to him and stretched itself out alongside his body or wrapped itself around him. The boy replied, “Yes he’s been doing it every day. That’s how I know he loves me and it makes me so sad that I can’t help him feel better.”

Then the vet said something shocking. “Young man, this is not a ball python but a reticulated python which grows to be much larger and is much more dangerous. And sadly this snake doesn’t love you and he is not sick. He is preparing to eat you. He’s been sizing you up every day so he knows if he has grown large enough to swallow you yet. And he has stopped eating so he has enough room to digest you."

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While this story is an urban legend it serves as a powerful metaphor for the way Christians relate to habitual sins in our lives. Most believers have a time of sanctification after we first get saved during which we put off sin and begin to live a new life. But over time, many believers get tired of fighting against the flesh every day and they end up with several stubborn sins that they fail to rid their lives of completely. Eventually we give up hope of ever being free of these sins. We stop fighting against them. We accept them and start to think of them less as sins and more as character flaws or bad habits. Whether it's arrogance, selfishness, materialism, anger issues, sexual  immorality, lust, or slander; eventually we grow comfortable with the idea that these few sins will be with us for the rest of our lives. 

The scary truth is that we have gotten so used to these sins as a part of our lives that we’ve forgotten how dangerous they are. These sins are dangerous! And Satan wants to use them to damage the reputation of Christ, steal our joy, hurt our relationship with God, and ruin our witness. 

In the passage above, Scripture tells us that those who walk in darkness can’t be walking with the God who is Light. No matter what a person says. If they claim to be a Christian but are walking in darkness then they are a liar. Warren Wiersbe says it this way, “darkness and light cannot exist in the same place.”

So don’t get comfortable with your sin. Fight against it! I am not advocating perfectionism. I will never be rid of my sin nature completely on this side of Heaven. Which means that I will never be completely free from all sin. But that doesn’t mean that it’s okay for me to willingly walk in sin every day and impose on God’s grace. That doesn’t mean that it’s okay for me to continue to live enslaved to certain sins and give up hope that I will ever beat them. 

Refuse to be enslaved to a sin that Jesus died to rescue you from! Fight against the sin that remains in you. Reject the lie that Jesus can’t set you free from some particular sin. And seek to become more like Christ each and every day.

See Your Sin

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Jeremiah 17:9-10

It's important to remember that sin isn't just something we do, it's who we are. We are sinful. I know that we all like to think that deep down we are all good people who sometimes do bad things, but we aren't. We are bad people. Not necessarily bad in the sense that we are worse than others, but bad in the sense that we fall far short of God's righteousness. If we aren't careful, we will forget this. 

"Is that such a bad thing?" You may be thinking. "Why should I feel bad about myself all the time?" Well, you shouldn't but you should see yourself as you truly are. You see, God doesn't want to just free you from low self-esteem; He wants to free you from the sin in your heart. Look at it this way. A good doctor tells you when you have cancer and prescribes a treatment that can save your life. She doesn't lie to you and tell you that you're healthy and then send you home to die. The lie might feel better in the moment but the truth will be far better for you in the long run. So too, seeing yourself for the sinner you really are allows you to confess and forsake your sin. Over time the act of seeing your sins, confessing them and learning to be free of them by the power of God's Spirit is called sanctification. This is what helps us to become more and more like Christ. But each forward step in this progress begins with you seeing your sin.   

Oftentimes we mistakenly think of our sin only in terms of the things we do. But many of our most dangerous sins reside secretly in our hearts where they are hidden safely away from the gaze of our fellow man and, if we aren't careful, away from our own gaze as well. That's why we must regularly pause to search out and confess our sin. You can't confess and forsake sin you don't realize you have.

One last thought, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He didn't respond with any of the many commands restricting behavior or any of the many commands prescribing behavior. Instead, He said that the most important command has to do with the heart. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). So take some time to search your heart. What things do you love that you shouldn't? What things should you love that you don't? Pay attention to your heart. God certainly does. 

For further reading...

• I Samuel 16:7- God looks on the heart.
• Proverbs 4:23- Where your heart leads your life follows. 
• Matthew 6:21- Your heart follows the things it loves.
• Matthew 12:34- Your heart controls what you say as well.
• Luke 16:15- God knows your heart.

Hate Evil. Cling to Good.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

1 John 3:7-8

Be careful. You have an enemy who wants to lead you astray, to somehow lure you off the narrow path into the thorns and briers of spiritual ineffectiveness. One of his favorite means of doing this is to send others into your life to speak his words to you: wolves in sheep's clothing. How can you spot them? Look at their walk. Just as a wolf doesn't walk like a sheep, so a person's walk (their actions) reveals their true character. If they claim to be righteous but don't do right, they're a liar. 

A recent trend has emerged in Christian circles that values authenticity and genuineness more than righteousness. In the name of being "more real" and in an attempt to connect with lost people, Christians are opening up about their sins and often even curse openly. 

Honesty is good. Of all the people on earth Christians have the least to hide because of the unfathomable grace that has been afforded us through Christ Jesus. And Scripture tells us that we ought to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). But when we openly name our sin it should be done in repentance. We don't wear our sins as a badge of pride to show how "real" we are in an attempt to win the lost. We dare not use filthy or vulgar language (which Scripture speaks against in Ephesians 4:29) in an attempt to be edgier than other Christians. Certainly we know by now that this world will not be won for Jesus by Christians who have become more like the world they are trying to save. 

No! There is nothing righteous about sin. There is nothing admirable about it. The entire reason that Jesus came to earth was to destroy the devil's work, and to do so especially in us. He died in order to sanctify the hearts and lives of believers. We cannot, we dare not coddle our sin, brag about it, use it to grow our churches, or give sin any refuge or foothold in our lives. To do so is a slap in the face to Jesus and His finished work on the cross. Jesus gave His life to free us from the enemy's grasp, to rescue us from sin. Let us never make light of the sin the remains in us. Let us openly confess that sin to one another, but let us hate even the garment stained by it (Jude 23). And as we lead the way in honesty let us all the more lead the way in mourning over our sin, repenting of it and pursuing life change. May Romans 12:9 light our path: "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." So be sincere, but not at the cost of hating evil or clinging to what is good. 

Hope from Lazarus

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone... and [Jesus] cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

John 11:39-41 & 43-44

I don't know what you struggle with. It may be a bad habit or an addiction. It may simply be lack of self-control in general. But no matter how long your particular area of struggle has had power over you, the story of Lazarus is good news for you. By raising Lazarus from the dead it is as though Jesus wrote in large letters across the page of Scripture, "YOU ARE NOT TOO FAR GONE FOR ME TO SAVE!"

Lazarus had been in the grave for four days! That is enough time for visible decomposition to have started. His body would have been bloated and it would have already started to smell. Consider that four days is merely how long Lazarus had been in the grave. We don't know how many days it was before they buried him. All of that to say... Lazarus was dead-dead. I know that isn't the medical term for it. But this isn't someone whose heart restarted after 20 minutes. This isn't someone who woke up from a coma. He was D-E-A-D. When they obeyed Jesus' command and opened the tomb, everyone standing around would have known this for sure, because they would have smelled the decomposition, the smell of death.

But then, a miracle happened. Jesus spoke! And the same voice that called life into being at creation, commanded Lazarus to come out of that tomb. In the face of the indisputable fact of death, Jesus spoke in faith. And the voice of the Creator reached into the grave, into death itself and set Lazarus free from its icy grip. You can imagine the decomposition reversed itself rapidly under the grave clothes. The synapses in Lazarus' brain began to fire slowly at first and then more quickly. His heart began to beat again. His lungs drew in that first precious gasp of air. In that moment Lazarus himself must have smelled the death all over him, and yet there he was alive again. He walked out of that tomb bound by the trappings of death, but what did Jesus say next? "Unbind him, and let him go."

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that what binds you is too strong for Jesus. Don't believe the lie that the enemy whispers in your ear, that you will never be free of your alcoholism, or nicotine addiction, or overeating, or pornography, or masturbation, or whatever sin entangles you. Jesus is powerful enough. You aren't too far gone. He can save you. You can be set free. Indeed, those of you who believe in Jesus have already been set free; you just haven't learned to walk in your freedom. Romans 6:18 says, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  

Refreshingly Unpleasant

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Joel 2:13

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord...

Acts 3:19

I know. These verses don't exactly lend themselves to the kid of uplifting, airy tone we come to expect from a devotional. I would probably get more readers writing about lighter fare.  So why share these verses?

Because I need to be reminded of them, and I am betting that at least some of you out there are like me. I tend to forget the importance of repentance and confession in my ongoing relationship with Jesus. Recently I have started using the ACTS prayer model when I pray. If you aren't familiar, it's an acrostic that helps you balance your prayers between four important types of prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (our requests). Before I started doing this I almost never spent any time in confession before God. Any prayer I offered up included requests. Oftentimes I had a smattering of thanksgiving. Occasionally I would offer up some praise. But I almost never of my own inclination turned toward confession and repentance.

I am guessing that you are like me. Maybe you think you are pretty good. You may even struggle to think of sin in your life that you need to confess. It's ridiculous how often I have found myself in this state of arrogance and delusion. If you struggle to think of sins you need to confess, trust me it isn't because you have none. Rather you should take it as a sign of just how blind you are to your own sin. The most sanctified among us have more sin remaining in their heart than they could easily fit into a single prayer time. If you really want help finding your sins out, ask your spouse or a close friend what sin they see in your life. But be prepared for an honest answer!

Maybe you aren't like me. Maybe you know your sin all too well. You feel the shame and the weight of it and it's unpleasant to you. You avoid this unpleasantness by refusing to deal with the sin. That's why you don't confess. You would rather ignore it. Or perhaps you know your sin but you aren't willing to repent of it. You love it and want to continue in the same path. You keep your conscience tamped down by trying not to think about your sin too much. So you cling to it and hope God doesn't notice.

Whatever your reason, trust me when I say that it's a shame that we don't spend more time confessing our sins to God. Your sin affects your nearness to God and your effectiveness in His kingdom. Who knows the ways it may be hindering you and your family spiritually, materially or financially. Greater levels of intimacy with the Lord lie on the other side of repentance. It is likely that greater blessing is there as well, for God loves to bless the righteous. And finally there is without a doubt, forgiveness and freedom waiting for those who will confess their sins and turn away from them. As I John 4:8 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Set aside some time right now to confess five sins to the Lord. Even though it may seem unpleasant at first, rest assured that this important Christian discipline will bring "times of refreshing from the Lord."  

Dirty Floss and Polluted Garments

When it comes to cleaning, almost all married couples are "unequally yoked." There's usually one spouse who stands out as the messier of the two and one who is inevitably called the "neat freak." I am the latter.

One thing in particular that I do drives my wife crazy. I talk incessantly about cross-contamination. In part it comes from my time working as a short order cook. Stacy has listened to me talk about cross-contamination as it relates to food preparation, diaper changing, taking out the trash...a whole host of scenarios really. For example, "Stacy dear, your floss touched the faucet handle that we touch after we use the bathroom to wash our hands. You may not want to put that in your mouth." I drive her nuts! But thankfully there is grace even for this. And as it turns out this is a biblical concept of sorts.

In the little book of Jude, sin is pictured as a type of spreading disease that contaminates all it comes in contact with. In Jude 1:22-23, the brother of Jesus instructs believers to "be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."

Jude isn't telling Christians to avoid interacting with lost people as though they might contaminate us. That would go against his admonition to snatch them from the fire of God's impending judgment. Rather, Jude instructs us to always respect our own vulnerability to the power of sin. His emphasis on the garment stained by sin serves to remind us how much we ought to hate sin. If we hate even clothing that's been contaminated by sinful actions, how much more ought we to hate the sin itself. This reminds me of the Old Testament priests. When they entered the tent of meeting or later the temple to make atonement for God's people, they had to undergo ceremonial washing, bathing and even changing of clothes to ensure that the stain of sin wasn't on them as they entered God's presence.

At the end of the day this image captures the core of the Christian life. How can a person ensure that the stain of sin is not found on them when they stand before God? Zechariah 3:1-5 provides a beautiful and insightful picture into the Christian answer to this question. In the immediate context it speaks to the high priest's sin being taken away so he can make atonement for God's people, but Joshua serves as a type of how we all can find forgiveness in Christ.

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.

Satan is eager to accuse us all. And just like Joshua we are all clothed in the filthy rags of our sin compared to God's holiness. But those who place their faith in Christ will be washed as white as snow. God offers to clothe us in the righteousness of Christ and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. But unlike Joshua we cannot wait until the day we stand before God to deal with our sin. The Bible tells us that on that day it will be too late. Sin is a spreading disease for which there is no cure after death. It'll be too late to try get right with God after you die. We dare not wait to deal with our sin or to warn those we love. The cure must be administered while you are still alive. Hate sin. Hate even the garment contaminated by sin. For it has the power to separate you from God for all eternity. Have you turned to Jesus in faith for the forgiveness of your sins? If not, then remember that today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2) If so, then who might God be calling you to snatch from the fire?

For further reading...

• 1 Corinthians 5:9-13- Paul agrees with Jude that Christians should not separate from non-believers. Interestingly, Paul tells us who we should separate from.

Imposing on God's Grace

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Ezra 3:11b-13

Have you ever had a friend who regularly takes advantage of your kindness? They impose on you all the time because they know you'll put up with it. They stick you with the check at dinner. "Oh, I forgot my wallet!" Or they drop by your house unannounced...for a week at a time! 

Some Christians try to treat God this way. They think, "God is going to forgive me no matter what I do. So why not do what I want?" This passage is a good reminder of why that never quite works out the way you think it will.

You need a little back story first. God's people had abandoned God and His ways. They had turned their back on Him to worship other gods. After hundreds of years, God's patience turned to judgment. In justice He repaid His people for their evil, sending them into exile for 70 years. Yet God is "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love... and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin" (Exodus 34:6-7). So after 70 years He miraculously restored His people to their land and they began rebuilding His temple. When they had laid the foundation of the temple they worshiped and celebrated, but some of the older men mourned. Why?

They knew how far they had fallen. They had seen the awesome splendor of Solomon's temple. For them the new temple foundation was symbolic of all that they had lost. They had seen God's people at the height of their prosperity and now were reminded of the full consequences of their sin. God had forgiven them and restored them, but they weren't the same. Their temple wasn't the same. Their lives weren't the same.

This is a good reminder for us. If we think we can live in sin and simply expect God forgive us, we should consider this passage. God never promises to protect us from the results of our sin, only to forgive those who repent in Jesus. Sin isn't just a matter of going to Heaven or Hell. It will destroy your life in the here and now as well. It is actually in your best interest to obey God's commands no matter what.

This is why the Bible so regularly talks about God's commands bringing life, joy, and peace while sin brings death, pain and trouble (For example: Proverbs 10:16, 10:27, 11:19, 12:28, 19:23, Psalm 34:11-14, 119:92-94).

I hope your love for Jesus and your appreciation for the forgiveness He has bought you with His blood is enough to motivate you to live for Him. But if for any reason you are wavering in that today and considering plunging headlong into that sin that appears so tempting, then I urge you to reconsider. Choose sin over God at you own peril. Even if forgiveness does come, the destruction our sin leaves behind is often here to stay. 

For further reading...

Romans 6- Paul makes a great argument for why believers should not continue in sin.

It's Not My Problem. The Problem is with Everybody Else.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

James 1:21-25

There is something inherently Christian about having your eyes opened to your own sin. The Bible tells us that sin is deceptive and blinding (I John 2:11 & Matt 15:14). It also says that the great deceiver, Satan, has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they will not see the truth of the gospel of Jesus (2 Cor. 4:4). So no man comes to God in faith seeking salvation unless God's Spirit first opens his eyes and reveals to him his need for salvation (John 6:44 & John 3:7-8). A good example here is the Pharisee Saul. He believed he was serving God faithfully. He was meticulous in preserving his righteousness and zealous about protecting his religious traditions from the new sect that was infiltrating it. Imagine his surprise when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus and said to him "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4). Even as his physical eyes were temporarily blinded by the light, the eyes of his heart were opened to see his own sin. All of us who have repented of our sin have experienced a similar (if less dramatic) moment in which our eyes were opened to our sin by the Spirit of God.

This makes it all the more sad to consider how many Christians walk through their daily lives completely blind to their ongoing sin. Too many of us are arrogant. Too many are hypocritical. Too many are easily angered. And far too many of us seem to think that the problem is with everyone else but ourselves. How can we combat this? How can we guard against it?

2 Tim 3:16 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." The Bible is useful for correcting not only others but also ourselves. James puts it this way: when we read Scripture it is like looking at ourselves in a mirror. Scripture is sharper than any double-edged sword and it judges the attitudes of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). The Spirit of God dwelling in us uses Scripture to reveal sin that is still present in our lives. In these moments when the Word casts light on our sin we have a choice to make. We can find any reason to excuse ourselves for our failure; we can find any distraction at hand to take our minds off of it and cause us to forget what we have seen; or we can "humbly accept the word planted in us" and act on it. We can repent of the revealed sin and put into practice whatever God prescribes. 

So, what if we committed to run towards obedience in these moments? What if the next time Scripture reveals our sin we try hard not to make excuses, not to over think, but simply to look for what God would have us do, and then do it as quickly as possible. Don't be merely a hearer of the Word, put it into practice in your life. Don't work against the Spirit, work alongside Him as He strives to reveal and remove the sin that still entangles you.

For further reading...

• Check out the linked verse above.

Crouching Tiger, Devouring Sin

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Genesis 4:6-7

One only needs to read the first four chapters of the Bible to get a clear picture of how dangerous sin is. Already in Genesis 3 we have been told that sin entered the Garden of Eden in the form of a cunning snake we know to have been the Devil. Now just one chapter later, sin is described as a ferocious animal lying in wait outside a door waiting to pounce upon and devour its prey...us! No more fitting a simile for sin than this can be found. Although the Lord speaks to Cain in this passage, His message is just as true for you and me. We must never forget what sin's design is for our lives. In the original language "it desires to have you" is closer to "it craves or desires to devour you." Sin feeds on our destruction. We would do ourselves much good by simply remembering this. So often sin is peddled as fun, as stress relief, as really living it up. So remember this saying out of the mouth of God Himself. In reality sin is a ferocious animal lying in wait to devour you at its first opportunity. Don't believe Satan's cheap sales tactics. For your own good, avoid sin!

The Almighty continues to give Cain a suggested course of action. Literally God tells Cain that he must rule, or exercise dominion over, sin. He cannot allow sin to master him; he must rather master it. This is an interesting phrase given that God gave man dominion over animals at creation. Now after the Fall, increasingly men will have to exercise that dominion with great effort to tame and control animals from harming people. When you stop to consider how much intentional effort and planning goes into exercising dominion over a dog, a horse or even something as grand as a tiger, you get some sense of how difficult it must be to master sin.

We can all think of prominent news stories in which a supposedly tame (mastered) wild animal broke out and killed or maimed its owner, trainer, or some innocent bystander. Whether it's chimpanzees, lions, or horses over and over again we have been reminded not to get too confident in the idea that we have fully mastered any animal. If it is this difficult to master an animal, how much more so with sin.

It isn't until many years later in the New Testament that man would learn that only Jesus can ever truly exercise dominion over sin. For the rest of us, try as we might, we can never fully master it in our own power. Yet those who are in Christ, who have been filled with the Holy Spirit, have been set free from the bondage of sin (Acts 13:38-39, Romans 6, & Romans 8:1-4). Sin no longer has mastery over the Christian. Yet, we too must heed God's words to Cain so we do not give in to sin again. We must continually remind ourselves of the dangers of sin, and we must plan and put forth an intentional effort to master this enemy in our lives.

Imagine what steps a man would take if he knew a wild animal were crouching at his door ready to devour him. He cannot stay in his house forever (Proverbs 26:13-14). He must eventually slay the beast. But he will not walk outside with a spatula or a rolled up newspaper. He'll plan carefully and give his best effort to master the enemy or he may die. Dear Christian, even though your soul is secure with the Lord, your life and all that God has planned for you hangs in the balance when you engage in sin. You must seek to master it by learning to walk in the freedom and power that Christ has given you. Do not think that you can embrace sin and somehow avoid its bite. So let me ask you... what ferocious animal, what sin are you inviting into your home, into your life? What sin do you find lying at your door each morning waiting to tempt you when you awake? And what is your plan to avoid it, to master it?  

For further reading...

• Acts 13:38-39, Romans 6, & Romans 8:1-4- Set free from the power of sin.