Jolan on Sin

Sin. Ahhh, how it takes control of us in even the smallest opportunity. I haven’t had a drink in close to a year not because of any problems with drinking, I just lost the taste for it.

At my weekend visit there was lots of champagne at the Baby shower. At first I thought Nahhh, I won’t have any. But as the hours drew on I decided to have a small glass, why not I used to love champagne, I told myself.

Well one glass turned to two... and two turned to three (I shared the third glass with Primo) and for some reason I ended up with a very upset stomach.

Something came to mind that said, “Oh come on even Jesus drank wine.”

Isn’t that how it is?

We look for reasons to do the wrong thing. I didn’t get smashed but I did feel guilty afterwards.

Where was the guilt coming from?

I read this verse today in church:

Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

1^st Corinthians 6:19-20

I believe that drinking caused me to have jealous feelings, and covet my neighbor. You see my family never gets together for anything (my grandparents are getting on in age and it is hard for them to drive. My aunts and uncles forget about it (LOL), and of course my loving family in Puerto Rico, they would love nothing more than coming to visit us but money doesn’t grow on trees) and here were my friends family together again. They get together all the time. Now I do not lack in love with my family, in fact I felt so ashamed because I wasn’t truly looking at the blessed life God has given me. I have never felt more love come from my immediate family and they would bend over backwards to make me smile.

I think that the devil looks for opportunities such as these, he looks for our weak moments to help us along in our sinful nature.

Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.

1^st Peter 5:8

For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness

Ephesians 6:12

I immediately felt ashamed of my behavior and repented.

Psalm 38:18

But I confess my sins;

I am deeply sorry for what I have done.

1^st John 1:9

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.

It doesn’t matter if we ask others for forgiveness if we haven’t asked our Father. He is the only one who can forgive and erase our sins.

“I—yes, I alone—am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.

Isaiah 43:25

Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that He may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:7

In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 9:22

God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.

Colossians 1:14

Thank the Lord he knows we are not perfect. He knows we will be tempted and he also knows that as a Christian we will learn from our mistakes. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way.

Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 5:30 And if your hand—even if it is your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.

1^st John 1:7

To many drinking may not seem like a big deal but anything that causes you to do wrong in Gods eyes is a sin. Drinking the champagne led me to sin in my mind which is just as bad as doing it in front of someone. I also thought how I may have appeared to some of the people at the baby shower. Many people didn’t know me, but some did and are we or are we not supposed to be shining examples of the Holy Spirit. Yes, I failed my Father that day and it made me sad. It made me very sad. But He has forgiven me. He always will because I died to my sins and became one with God.

For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 37:28

From then on, Jesus began to preach, “Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.^*”

Matthew 4:17

Don’t be fooled. God hates sin.

And when we do not confess our sins to Him it separates us from him and damages our relationship with our Father.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1^st John 1:9

Therefore this is what the Lord says, “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me.”

Jeremiah 15:19

If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

1^st John 1:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you.

Psalm 51:10-13

Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and have turned to God (Matthew 3:8).

Once God has forgiven us, we can then forgive ourselves:

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13,14

This is an example of how sin can fool you.

It may fool you and those around you but it will not nor will it EVER fool God.

Remember He knows your heart:

Psalm 44:21

God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.

Don’t be fooled by the lies of this world:

• Drunkenness (losing control of your body – Gods body)
• Adultery (lusting after anyone with your eyes, your heart or even in actions)
• Murder (hating someone – the same as killing someone)
• Lying (that means any lie used to deceive someone)
• Using Gods name in vain (bringing His name down to a level of disgust and in turn using it as a cuss word)
• Idolatry (loving anything more than God – money, possessions etc., making your own image of God).

The list goes on and on my brothers and sisters. How often do we try to justify our sins?

There is no justification for sinning against our Creator, our Father in heaven.

How we must break his heart again and again.

But we redeem ourselves when we admit our weakness, when we suffer for the bad decisions we have made and ask him to forgive us.

¹ And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ² Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ³ “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-12

God has given me all I need.

I have love.

I have happiness.

I have health.

I have GOD.

And in reality without God I would have nothing and with Him I have everything. I know where my treasures lay and they are with Him in Heaven. The only treasure I care about is my Father, the rest are just perks.

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.

Matthew 6:19-21