Dealing With Sin
Psalm 32
Regardless of how long you have been a Christian or how spiritually mature you may be, we all have to deal with sin. The process of sanctification is a long and arduous journey that requires daily allegiance to Jesus as Lord of our individual lives and much prayer and time in the Word of God for strength and hope. David was gifted and offered so much promise, yet he fell so far from God. His problem: he became relaxed and comfortable with his position that God had graciously given him and he let his guard down. All of us fall, some further and harder than others, but all of us fall. God does not have different sins on a scale as we do. He hates it all and even the smallest, unnoticed sins nailed Jesus to the cross and do harm to us and to others.
How do we typically deal with sin?
- First of all we bury them. Psalm 32:3-4 says “When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.” Pr. 28:13 says “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them find mercy.”
- The Second option is that we blame others. When we point our finger at others we are not being honest with our selves. All have sinned, but I cannot deal with someone else’s sins, I have my own to agree with God about. In the beginning (Gen.3:12) Adam shifted the blame to Eve and she blamed the serpent, but the truth is each were responsible for their own disobedience.
- Our third option is to beat ourselves up and feel guilty and hopeless. This guilt disables us, makes us mean-spirited and ushers in a dismal attitude. God help us to turn from these wrong and regular habits of dealing with our sins.
Now let us look at what our proper response should be to our sin that is obvious to God.
- First, the Bible says to confess them. Not necessarily to another person but to God himself. At times we don’t even see our personal sin. In Psalm 139:23 –24, David asks of God to “search my heart O God and see if there is sin”. In most cases we are unaware of all the sin that is in our heart and only God can search and reveal it to us. Psalm 32:5 says, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them…and you forgave me.” Wow, God forgave me! It does not matter what you have done, our God forgives instantly, completely and graciously. 1 John1:9 says the same thing. In David’s life he had a prophet, Nathan, who confronted him. God sends individuals to make us face the music. It might be a preacher, but many times it is our spouse, parent, or close friend who sees and is willing to risk much to confront us in a godly way. The real question is, do we listen and heed their words or get defensive?
- Second, we need to accept God’s forgiveness. This God we know through Jesus is ready to forgive right now (see Psalm 32:1-2). He is much more willing to forgive than we are willing to confess. His forgiveness is apart of His nature. He is a loving and forgiving Father who desires that we live in continual fellowship and intimacy with Him. The problem occurs when we hide and keep an attitude of “everything is fine in my life”. (see Ps.66:18)
- Third we need to forgive ourselves. Many times this is the hardest. Psalm 32:5-6 says “All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. John 3:17 says “God did not send His son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.” Romans 8:1 says, that there is no condemnation for the Christian.
- And lastly follow God’s guidance. He desires to lead you and guide your life, and you will like the destinations that He chooses. “The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like the senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control”. Ps.32:8-9 In other words don’t be so stubborn! Trust the Lord and you will be blessed. God loves you and has great plans for your life, but it requires continual submission to His leadership and agreeing with Him about the sin that He sees in our life.
