April 2, 2017 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John
A Time for Crying
All Roads Lead through Jericho Series
Raising kids parents learn quickly what crying can be ignored and ‘the other crying’ that says your child needs your help right away! All parents learn to distinguish between legitimate crying and the so-called, ‘fake crying’.
I have laughed (and I am sure you have too) at certain types or styles of crying by our children. I have even laughed at some crying by my grandkids. Often they recognize I am not going to do anything about their crying and they stop their calculated manipulation of my emotions and start to smile at grandpa.
There are three types of crying God listens too. Many times in Scripture, He says, “He will not listen to your crying or call for help.” However, God does respond to crying that comes from an honest and sincere heart. Do not be fooled by selfish logic—God cannot be enticed by insincere tears and He is not manipulated by selfish crying.
We cry over our sin, we cry over other people’s sins, and we cry over injustice and spiritual darkness that enslaves others around us. These are legitimate behaviors that God honors and listens too. We need a caring heart that intercedes for others and fights against the evil one who oppresses God’s creation.
However, it is the crying over personal sin that I would like to address. How does one become free from sin—free from all the guilt and ‘the hold’ sin has on our lives? Yes, sin has power and its power, when your sin is un-confessed, can make you captive and force you to sin over and over again. This is why Jesus died. He died in order to offer you forgiveness and the removal and consequences of your sin—to end Satan’s captivity over your life. This is God’s #1 priority—your forgiveness, freedom, and ability to have a relationship with Him and to forgive individuals in the Body of Christ of their sin.
There are three Scriptures (I am sure many more for every kind of sinner) that can guide you in finding forgiveness that is attainable, works without failing, and is lasting.
1) Psalm 119:133b: “Let no sin rule over me.” David’s prayer to God—do not allow sin to have power or control over me. Sins can have and indeed are so powerful that one cannot keep from sinning unless you find ‘the forgiveness that takes away the power of the sin’. So many people think that confession or asking for forgiveness is enough—that is not completely true—we must find forgiveness that takes even the power of sin away. (It is yours for the asking and embedded in so many Scriptures.)
2) John 5:14, 8:11: Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” (I would read the Gospel of John & the 3 Epistles of John if you wanted to understand forgiveness.) The point of these two verses is that Jesus first said, “Go,” which tells me that He wants you to move ahead with your life. Go—you now have a new ‘lease on life’. You through forgiveness have a new future—embrace it and experience it. And, secondly, once God forgives any type of sin, He now says that you have the means, ability and decision making opportunity to sin no more. (This might not take place so easily for some but Christ has opened the door for your success so do not think it is impossible.)
3) Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” This verse is a promise and its promise is for God to erase from your memory your conscience of past sins and sins hold on one’s life. Forgiveness is not always an easy thing—often it takes days, weeks and even months to have ‘complete freedom’ of all the consequences of sin and its power over us. It is the only verse that I know of that erases even the memory of past sins so we can have freedom of our past mistakes.
I have spent weeks crying about sins I did not know were in my life until the Holy Spirit showed them to me and their deadly influence over my life. God’s forgiveness is greater than all and any sin. Always pray these verses for God is always faithful but we must choose to let Him fulfill His promises to us in His Word.
My good friend, Phillip Lee, Director of His Way Out Ministries has these practical suggestions: http://hiswayout.com
· Set your heart and mind against the old sin-bred patterns of thinking, feeling, and doing, and toward a love of purity. "Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness." (Psalm 29:2)
· Starve the old nature to death! Avoid the people, places and things that God reveals as feeding troughs for your sin nature. "By the leading of the Spirit, put to death the misdeeds of the body." (Romans 8:13)
· Frequent men’s/women’s fellowship groups in addition to regular church services so that you can receive the kind of healthy support, modeling and acceptance that has been missing in your life. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)
· Find someone with whom you can be accountable. "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16)
· Increase the amount of time you spend seeking God in prayer and crying out to Him for help. "God rewards those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
Remember, just like the Children of Israel had to find forgiveness and freedom of their sin before they entered the Promise Land, so must we. It is through forgiveness found only in Christ that we will find our purpose and calling in walking by faith doing the works of Christ in this generational-time of great spiritual darkness…it is a time for crying!
WWJWMTD
What would Jesus want me to do?
You can find this article and others at the following social media websites.
http://wwjwmtd.com
http://www.facebook.com/wwjwm2d
http://www.twitter.com/wwjwmtd
http://www.linkedin.com/in/wwjwmtd
http://wwjwmtd.tumblr.com/
(Cut and paste any of these addresses into your browsers.)
Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com
This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.
wwjwmtd 