‘This is the verdict: light has come into the world.’ John
3:19
Here are some helpful observations on ‘walking in the
light’.
1) Sin is God’s enemy, and yours. Jesus said, ‘There is
no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy’ (Luke 11:23
MSG). Neutrality and passivity aren’t options; you must treat sin like the
enemy it is.
2) Be honest with yourself and God. Don’t excuse your sin
as a ‘condition’ or ‘tendency’. You didn’t just make a bad judgment - you
sinned. You may have had a troubled past, but today you have choices!
3) Don’t indulge in beating yourself up. You’re not
supposed to wallow in condemnation before acknowledging your sin. Making
yourself miserable doesn’t signify that you deserve forgiveness. That comes by
grace, through faith alone. Every second spent in self-condemnation is time
stolen from you by Satan. The moment that brings the acknowledgment of sin also
brings the cleansing of sin.
4) If you repeat the sin, repeat the confession. ‘Won’t
God get tired of me coming to Him?’ you ask. No. God accepted Jesus as a
substitute for all your sins for all time, so He will never reject you. Isaiah
told God’s people, ‘Return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy…and to our
God, for he will abundantly pardon’ (Isaiah 55:7 KJV). Above all, be patient
with yourself. Give the Holy Spirit time to develop in you the strength needed
to transcend your old nature and overcome your old sinful habits, and be
assured it will happen (see Philippians 1:6).
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