I blew it. Deep down, I knew but I refused to see it at the time. My blood was boiling. My heart raced in my chest. A million thoughts crowded my head and drowned out the still, small voice of God. “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” When the anger welled up in me, I should have prayed Psalm 141:3. “Lord, guard my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips.” I should have held my peace. I should have hit the dirt on my knees, pleading for divine intervention.
“I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak.”
Matthew 12:36 NET
https://bible.com/bible/107/mat.12.36.NET
That’s exactly what they were- worthless words. They accomplished nothing good and I felt worse for airing them yet in the moment, I could not seem to stop myself. I was on a runaway train heading for a dangerous precipice, all the while stoking the flame. I was self-destructing faster than Wile E. Coyote, relentlessly pursuing the Roadrunner.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:29-32 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.4.29-32.NIV
“A gentle answer quiets anger, but a harsh one stirs it up.
When wise people speak, they make knowledge attractive, but stupid people spout nonsense.
The Lord sees what happens everywhere; he is watching us, whether we do good or evil.”
Proverbs 15:1-3 GNT
https://bible.com/bible/68/pro.15.1-3.GNT
I know all these things. I have hidden these truths in my heart so that I might not sin against God, yet in a fit of temper, my own words spewed out. I betrayed my Lord just as surely as Peter claimed three times that He did not know Jesus. I could make excuses. I was overtired, frustrated, misunderstood. Some might sound valid, justifiable even. You might commiserate but I would be joining Eve in casting blame.
True repentance requires seeing my sin as God does. Sin only varies by degrees in the sense that the consequences meted out in the here and now are more severe, say for murder than for perjury. Theft is punishable by law if you are caught while envy and covetousness are actually encouraged in our consumer culture. Before God, there is no difference. All have sinned and fall short of His glorious standard. (Romans 3:23) The cost is the same. My sin cost Jesus His life.
“He suffered the things we should have suffered.
He took on himself the pain that should have been ours.
But we thought God was punishing him.
We thought God was wounding him and making him suffer.
But the servant was pierced because we had sinned.
He was crushed because we had done what was evil.
He was punished to make us whole again.
His wounds have healed us.
All of us are like sheep.
We have wandered away from God.
All of us have turned to our own way.
And the Lord has placed on his servant the sins of all of us.”
Isaiah 53:4-6 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/isa.53.4-6.NIRV
David was no stranger to sin. The man after God’s own heart took the wife of another man and not just any man, a warrior, one of his own mighty men of valor, most noble and loyal to his king. He stooped to murder by executive order and only confessed when confronted by the prophet Nathan. The weight of his sin was crushing as long as he tried to hide it.
“When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long.
For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer.
Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins.
For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity.”
Psalms 32:3-6 NET
https://bible.com/bible/107/psa.32.3-6.NET
“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.28.13.NIV
“How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned!
How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit.”
Psalms 32:1-2 NET
https://bible.com/bible/107/psa.32.1-2.NET
Follower of Christ, “What benefit did you gain from doing the things you are now ashamed of?
Those things lead to death!
You have been set free from sin.
God has made you his slaves.
The benefit you gain leads to holy living.
And the end result is eternal life.
When you sin, the pay you get is death.
But God gives you the gift of eternal life.
That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.”
Romans 6:21-23 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/rom.6.21-23.NIRV
“You were living in your sins and lawless ways.
But in fact you were dead.
You used to live as sinners when you followed the ways of this world.
You served the one who rules over the spiritual forces of evil.
He is the spirit who is now at work in those who don’t obey God.
At one time we all lived among them.
Our desires were controlled by sin.
We tried to satisfy what they wanted us to do.
We followed our desires and thoughts.
God was angry with us like he was with everyone else.
That’s because of the kind of people we all were.
But God loves us deeply.
He is full of mercy.
So he gave us new life because of what Christ has done.
He gave us life even when we were dead in sin.
God’s grace has saved you.
God raised us up with Christ.
He has seated us with him in his heavenly kingdom.
That’s because we belong to Christ Jesus.
He has done it to show the riches of his grace for all time to come.
His grace can’t be compared with anything else.
He has shown it by being kind to us.
He was kind to us because of what Christ Jesus has done.
God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ.
Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do.
It is God’s gift.
It is not based on anything you have done.
No one can brag about earning it.
We are God’s creation.
He created us to belong to Christ Jesus.
Now we can do good works.
Long ago God prepared these works for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:1-10 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/eph.2.3-10.NIRV
I am not an angry person. In fact I am fairly even tempered compared to most, but God does not compare me to you or to anyone else in His created order. He sees me at my worst and He loves me still. He loves me enough to convict me of all that would separate me from Him. I come to Him confessing my waywardness and asking to be forgiven. In Christ, His answer is always yes. I am clothed in His righteousness, reconciled to God, prepared to worship Him in spirit and in truth as He desires.
“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 a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
Psalms 32:8-9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.32.8-9.NLT
“We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth.
And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong.
In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.
And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire.
It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body.
It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue.
It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.
And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.
Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”
James 3:2-10 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.3.3.NLT
“You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.
You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.”
Psalms 85:2-3 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.85.2-3.NIV
God’s wrath was borne by Jesus on the cross. There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. What He did for me was unimaginable. I was dead and He gave me abundant, eternal life by His sacrifice. He was completely innocent yet He humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. When I recognize the truth, I am humbled.
“But God chose you to be his people.
You are royal priests.
You are a holy nation.
You are God’s special treasure.
You are all these things so that you can give him praise.
God brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were not a people.
But now you are the people of God.
Once you had not received mercy.
But now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, you are outsiders and those who wander in this world.
So I’m asking you not to give in to your sinful desires.
They fight against your soul.”
1 Peter 2:9-11 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/1pe.2.9-11.NIRV
Beware collateral damage. I am not the only one affected by my sin. If by choosing my own way over God’s way I drown out His still, small voice and give in to my human nature, I may cause someone for whom Christ died to stumble. (Romans 14:15, I Corinthians 8:11) This is much too high a price to pay for self-indulgence.
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.4.26-27.NIV
““Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.5.23-24.NIV
Now I better understand Paul’s run on statement about the natures that war within us that combine with the spiritual forces of darkness without. Eugene Peterson’s Message translation helps me to follow Paul’s logic. He acknowledges our two natures and our inability to perfectly follow God’s law to expose our need for Jesus. God does not deactivate our human natures when we trust Him but we are still without excuse for in Christ He made a way of escape, so that we can stand up under temptation. (I Corinthians 10:13)
“I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not.
Isn’t this also your experience?”
Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison.
What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.
So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.
But I need something more!
For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!
I realize that I don’t have what it takes.
I can will it, but I can’t do it.
I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.
My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions.
Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
It happens so regularly that it’s predictable.
The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up.
I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight.
Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
I’ve tried everything and nothing helps.
I’m at the end of my rope.
Is there no one who can do anything for me?
Isn’t that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does.
He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.”
Romans 7:14-25 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/rom.7.14-25.MSG
Jesus tells us to remain in Him. Remaining is a conscious choice. I love to sit outside on our covered porch during a storm. I choose a seat in the innermost corner. With my back to the brick, tucked almost entirely away from the spray of the rain, I revel in the marvelous display of God’s power. Standing on the shore in the moonlight watching the waves foam and roar rivals a storm for feeling God’s nearness. If I ran inside and shut out the world when the storms came, I would miss the enveloping presence I experience in those moments.
When Elijah was on the run for his life from wicked Queen Jezebel, the Lord commanded him to stand on the mountain while He passed by. A mighty windstorm shook rocks loose, but the Lord was not in the windstorm. An earthquake and a fire followed but the Lord was not in either. God spoke in a gentle whisper and instructed Elijah to stop running. (I Kings 19:12) It wouldn’t be long before Elijah was whisked away to God in a flaming chariot drawn by horses of fire but only after Elijah’s work on earth was done. (II Kings 2:11) He has to endure to the end and so do we.
God confronted Elijah in his despair with a question. “What are you doing here?” Elijah’s answered, “I’ve zealously served you, Lord, but these people of Yours, they killed every one of Your prophets and now they’re trying to kill me too.” In exhaustion and fear, he ran and he hid. It didn’t work for Elijah and it won’t work for you or me either.
Living from Christ’s victory does not mean I am strong. It means I am daily surrendering, taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ. It is allowing the spirit of Christ in me to overrule my emotions and feelings, even when they well up in me like a hurricane! It is learning to recognize the real enemy and say with Jesus, “Get behind me Satan. These are not the thoughts of God!”
So here I stand once again, amazed in His presence, and it is a beautiful, grace filled place to be! Stand with me awhile and bask in the Light of His Glory! Remember Whose you are and the inestimable value He placed on you when He came to earth, all the fullness of God in a helpless baby.
“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it.
Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.
Live an exemplary life in your neighborhood so that your actions will refute their prejudices.
Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.”
1 Peter 2:9-12 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/1pe.2.11.MSG
Jesus said, “Remain joined to me, just as I also remain joined to you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself.
It must remain joined to the vine.
In the same way, you can’t bear fruit unless you remain joined to me.
I am the vine.
You are the branches.
If you remain joined to me, and I to you, you will bear a lot of fruit.
You can’t do anything without me.
When you bear a lot of fruit, it brings glory to my Father.
It shows that you are my disciples.”
John 15:4-5, 8 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/jhn.15.5-8.NIRV
“But if we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them, he will be faithful to forgive us every time.
God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ, and he will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/1jn.1.9.TPT
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV
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