Before beginning each post, I spend time in prayer asking God what He would have me share. I always ask that He would, in some way, show me what would draw our hearts closer to Jesus and bring glory to Him. Well, some posts are easier to write than others. This is definitely an 'other'. I pray today that you will hear my heart, for I write not out of judgement but out of woeful self-discovery and a great love for you, my sister. So, here goes...Sin...
Sin can be so...sneaky. It clothes itself in I just made a mistake, it's just a bad habit, it's harmless, I deserve it, it's understandable, or I have a right.
Sin is a liar. It would have you believe that it is little and innocent and... pretty.
It sometimes looks like resentment all dressed up as understandable because...
The kids are driving you crazy, your husband didn't help with the housework,
and your friend hasn't returned your texts.
It sometimes looks like helping to set up for the Women's Banquet at church,
then coming home to criticize and bash the other ladies because
You had to do all the work.
It sometimes begins with a little harmless conversation about your husband
to your best friend, and turns into a lunch filled with husband-bashing.
It sometimes looks so pretty dressed up as humility. When in reality,
you self-deprecate so that others will compliment you and build you up.
So, what do we do with this thing called SIN?
•We pray.
•We search ourselves.
•We ask our father to take off the pretty dress that our sin is wearing and reveal that which seduces us away from Him.
•We recognize that sin always seeks to destroy our relationship with our Father.
•We go before our Lord, and confess... telling Him everything.
•We, with broken heart, ask for and receive His forgiveness, turning away from the sin.
And then...
•We rejoice because He has paid the ultimate price for our sins with His very life.
•We rejoice because He has forgiven the sin that was quietly, yet surely, strangling us to death.
•We thank Him.
•We praise His holy name.
And then we go on, only and always... with Him.
"Finally, I confessed all my sins to You and
stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself,
"I will confess my rebellion to the LORD."
And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Psalm 32:5 NLT
Where are you with this today?
Have you overcome a sin struggle?
Is God taking the 'pretty dress' off of a sin in your life?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Leave a comment!
Living
in His grace,
Mary
What a great way to describe sins that don't seem "so bad." I love the decriptions of it begin dressed up sweet and innocent. It has happened way too many times, and yes we women are so easily deceived! Thanks for some extra encouragement to watch out for those pretty little sins:)
ReplyDeleteVisiting from <a href='http://www.pintsizedtreasures.com>Pint-sized Treasures</a>
Hi Alison! We can dress sin up to look so acceptable and pretty... And call it any name but SIN. I'm so thankful that our Father wants to reveal our sin, and then is so faithful to forgive- when we, with contrite heart, repent!
DeleteI'm glad you came by today!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Loved this! Thanks so much for linking up with us at Courtship Connection!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathie! And thanks for hosting the Linkup!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary
Thank you for posting this Mary, you have really helped me.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley! I'm glad this was helpful. God's truths bring such healing and freedom.
DeleteThank you for coming by. I always enjoy your visits!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
What a powerful post. Im your newest follower from Prowess and pearls...
ReplyDeleteVickie
ohabbyday.blogspot.com
Vickie, God is wonderful to make us more aware of the sin that pulls us from Him.
DeleteI'm glad you came by for a visit! And thanks for following!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Hi Mary, such a great post! One of the things that is a warning sign for me is, "am I starting to compromise?" and its so subtle right? Like accepting stuff you watch on tv, etc. Thanks for linking up and look forward to seeing you there again next week.
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Tracy
Thanks Tracy! Subtle compromise can be such a slippery slope. What once seemed wrong, doesn't seem so wrong after awhile... And soon we find ourselves not only accepting, but enjoying.
DeleteThanks so much for sharing this! And thanks for hosting the Link Up!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Posts like this are hard to write, but as a sister in Christ, I say, "Thank you. Thank you for digging deep to find the right words." Grateful for your participation in #TellHisStory. ~ Jennifer
ReplyDeleteJennifer, thank you for your encouraging words. Sin is always difficult for me to write about... so home-hitting. I'm beyond thankful for our Savior's atonement and forgiveness.
DeleteThanks for hosting Tell His Story!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
I really loved this post.. Definitely going to follow you!
ReplyDeleteRen, I'm so glad it spoke to you. Thank you for coming by and thanks for following!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary
Your post reminds me of when the Holy Spirit convicted me that I could not excuse my sin just because it was 'that time of the month'. For years my heart had been blinded to that truth and I somehow had convinced myself that it was ok to be nasty, mean, unkind, etc... just because I didn't feel well. God was so good to show me that he could purify me in so many ways all at once! Thank you for the reminder that sin is ugly! I appreciated the words by John Piper too!
ReplyDeleteHi Beth Ann! I think you've just burst the bubble of several women!:) This is such a great example of how we sometimes convince ourselves that our crummy behavior is understandable and acceptable. It was so good of God to reveal the truth of that pretty little sin and free you from that destructive thinking. [I love the wording of this John Piper quote!}
DeleteThanks for coming by and taking time to leave a comment!
Blessings and love ~ Mary
Such a great post! Thanks so much for sharing w/ Thriving Thursdays. I'm pinning this to the Thriving Thursday board on pinterest.
ReplyDeleteThank you Crystal! I appreciate the great job you do at hosting Thriving Thursdays!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary
It is certainly my hope, goal and prayer that my sins be clear and not "dressed pretty." Facing them head on allows me to grow and it helps me to become the women I was intended to be.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Fawn! Recognizing and being honest about our sin allows us to see the ugliness of our thoughts and actions... And then, with awe, we humbly lay them before our Lord, the Forgiver of our sins.
DeleteThanks so much for coming by and taking time to leave a comment!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Mary, we are 'neighbors' at SDG this week and I'm SO glad I stopped by. I echo Jennifer Lee's words above--thank you for writing the 'hard stuff.' We spent a lot of time at our Home Group talking about the blood of Jesus and and repentance and confession last night. The death of Jesus for our sin is the crux of our faith. I love what our leader shared--'repent early and often.' We forget the freedom that can come when we RUN to the Father's throne. Thank you so much for sharing this. (Oh, and the John Piper list--awesome!)
ReplyDeleteJody, I love what your leader shared- 'repent early and often'...well said! There is such healing and freedom when we pour out our sin to our forgiving Lord. {I love the John Piper list too!}
DeleteThank you for stopping by and taking time to comment!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Dear Mary
ReplyDeleteSuch a necessary post. I was just pondering the fact that EVERYTHING we do without faith, or in the power of God's grace, is sin. And that makes it truly everything we do outside of the life of our Lord Jesus. Our Lord was the only man who where ever able to live a sinless life, while walking the earth and still is. The only way we can overcome sin, is not trying harder to stop, but living closer into His Life so that the life we live in these bodies, we live trusting Him who lives in me to overcome on my behalf! Over via Jennifer.
Much love
Mia
Mia, thank you for your beautiful comment. Apart from a deep-love-trust relationship with our Lord, sin reigns... Glory to our God for 'He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.'! I always appreciate your thought-filled comments.
DeleteBlessings and love ~ Mary
thought provoking in its truth. good post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol. I'm glad you came by and I appreciate the comment!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary
Wonderful Mar,
ReplyDeleteGreat to ask God what is "wrong". I sometimes forget that.
Blessings,
Janis
Thanks Janis! I know what you mean. It's easy to forget to ask Him to 'undress' our sin and reveal its ugliness.
DeleteThank you for hosting the linkup!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
This past week, I have been thinking along the same lines as I allow and ask God to search my heart. You have done such a good job articulating the subject of sin, a subject we too often sweep under the carpet. It is painful to allow Christ to examine my heart because I have to face the sin in my life that I am excusing. For me it has been complaining. Something we justify. I read this week in Numbers (forget the chapter) where God said that He would take away our complaining (or whatever). I cannot in my own strength remove any sin. Only God can.
ReplyDeleteJudith, it's so wonderful {yet painful} when God reveals and undresses our sin. I'm thankful that He not only opens our spiritual eyes to our sins, but also empowers us to turn from them. I think 'complaining' snags most of us... it's so easy to justify! Thanks so much for sharing this!
DeleteAnd thanks for hosting the linkup. I know it's a lot of work and you do a great job!
Blessings to you ~ Mary
Hi Mary!
ReplyDeleteI nominated you for the Liebster Award.
Check it out here:
http://marriedfilingjointly.blogspot.com/2013/03/liebster-blog-award.html
Have a wonderful evening!
~Chelsea @ Married Filing Jointly
Chelsea, thanks so much for the Liebster Award! I really appreciate it!
DeleteBlessings to you ~ Mary
While John Piper's words are very poetic, Scripture is ABUNDANTLY CLEAR about what the definition of sin is. Scripture is NOT the least bit AMBIGUOUS about what SIN is. Sin is (ANOMIA, the Greek word), [LAWLESSNESS]; it is to walk outside of, to violate or to transgress YHWH's Laws, Commandments, and His Instructions, [see 1 John 3:4]. According to Messiah HIMSELF, those who practice ANOMIA, and those who cause others to stumble into ANOMIA will be CAST OUT of Messiah's presence, and CAST INTO the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 13:41-42). These are not my words, they are Messiah's words. Deal with it.
ReplyDelete