August 4, 2006 - Psalms 66-67 and Romans 7
Sin is very destructive. Sin causes us to be separated from God, until we come to know Christ in the forgiveness of sins. Once we are saved, sin greatly damages our relationship with God, because He hates sin, and He will not have anything to do with sin. Therefore, we must hate sin and get rid of it, if we desire to walk with God. Jesus can and will remove sin from our lives if we humbly go to Him in confession and repentance. (I John 1:9)
Psalms 66 and 67 are about worshiping God. We must sing His praises and tell everyone of His great acts in all the earth. It is not a duty. It is a privilege to be able to praise God and to worship Him in gratitude. We should regularly engage in worship. However, sin destroys worship and prayer. Look at Psalm 66:18. If we have sin in our hearts, our prayers and our worship is of no effect, because God will not hear us. Worship becomes an empty ritual when we have unconfessed sin in our lives. Ask the Spirit to search your heart today and show you any unclean thing that needs to be cleansed and then, confess it and repent of it.
Romans 7 explains how sin takes over, even though we are married to Christ, and we have been set free from the bondage to sin. The flesh is tempted by the law of sin working in us. Once our flesh knows that something is wrong, we are drawn to it. It is just human nature or the flesh. If we follow the flesh, we will do what we don't want to do. However, the opposite is true, too. That is what we will read in Romans 8. When we allow the Spirit to fill us and to take control, we have the power to obey the Lord and stay away from sin. Jesus is the only way to break the power of sin. (v.25) Quit trying to live in your own power. You will fail, and sin will take over. Turn your life over to Jesus and allow the Spirit to guide you and empower you to defeat the law of sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 68-69 and Romans 8:1-21.
Psalms 66 and 67 are about worshiping God. We must sing His praises and tell everyone of His great acts in all the earth. It is not a duty. It is a privilege to be able to praise God and to worship Him in gratitude. We should regularly engage in worship. However, sin destroys worship and prayer. Look at Psalm 66:18. If we have sin in our hearts, our prayers and our worship is of no effect, because God will not hear us. Worship becomes an empty ritual when we have unconfessed sin in our lives. Ask the Spirit to search your heart today and show you any unclean thing that needs to be cleansed and then, confess it and repent of it.
Romans 7 explains how sin takes over, even though we are married to Christ, and we have been set free from the bondage to sin. The flesh is tempted by the law of sin working in us. Once our flesh knows that something is wrong, we are drawn to it. It is just human nature or the flesh. If we follow the flesh, we will do what we don't want to do. However, the opposite is true, too. That is what we will read in Romans 8. When we allow the Spirit to fill us and to take control, we have the power to obey the Lord and stay away from sin. Jesus is the only way to break the power of sin. (v.25) Quit trying to live in your own power. You will fail, and sin will take over. Turn your life over to Jesus and allow the Spirit to guide you and empower you to defeat the law of sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 68-69 and Romans 8:1-21.