Open Our Eyes

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

How much thought do you give to sin? How about to your own sin? When in prayer, do you have a habit of asking God to search you and reveal to you the sins that are hurting you and those around you?

My guess is that far too few of us practice this discipline. It is a painful thing to look in the mirror and see the person we are, instead of the person we’ve created in our mind’s eye. It’s human nature to project a better version of our true selves. Just as Cain wanted God to accept his offering, regardless of his selfish heart, we often want God, self, and others to accept the false narrative that our hearts are pure.

The truth is that we are all sinners, born into a sin nature. We are bent towards following Satan’s example of seeking to be like God. While we are created in God’s image, our flesh nature is not like God. Our flesh nature is like Satan: prideful, greedy, and lustful. Ever since Adam and Eve fell prey to the lie that God was holding out on them, babies have been born into a sin nature. That is why little ones want what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. Sadly, many of us are not all that different!

Until we surrender to God as the Lord of our lives, we live to satisfy our own heart’s desires. In doing so, we ignore God’s teaching. This is what sin is: thoughts and behaviors that violate God’s moral law. Both the Hebrew and Greek words for “sin” mean “to miss the mark”. This lets us know that there is a standard we should be aiming for.

When we miss that mark, as we all do, we are sinning against God. As a just God, He holds us responsible for our disobedience. As guilty men and women we face the death penalty. In His great love for us, God sent His own son to shed His blood as our substitute. In the person of Jesus Christ, who was fully man and fully God, we are offered forgiveness and the opportunity to become something new. We can literally take it or we can leave it. But, the choice we make will determine our standing before God. If we take His hand and follow Him, we will be restored to God and allowed access to His presence. We can talk to Him, and He will listen as a loving father listens to his child.

The truth of this message is called “The Good News” because Jesus frees us to see our sin and not be destroyed by it. That’s very good news! By restoring our standing with God, we don’t have to fear the shame of our sin. God already knows that we are sinners. That is why He sent Jesus to save us. Our job is to be honest with God. In prayer, He wants us to talk to Him about our fears and failures. Acknowledging our fears and failures leads to freedom.

Once we repent and ask for Jesus’ help, we are set free from sin‘s grip. Will we still sin? Of course. But, there will be more and more victory in our lives. And, there will be less and less failure as we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal our sinful nature for what it is: destructive! In addition, as we study the Bible and grow in our knowledge of who God is, and how much He loves us, the Holy Spirit will transform us as we begin to think and act more like Jesus.

My most consistent prayer is for Jesus to save me from myself. I know that left on my own, there will be no victory. Making confession part of my daily prayer life has brought intimacy with Jesus. Being “naked” before Him restores my soul and gives me the needed fuel to serve God and others. Living in the freedom of His forgiveness builds a hedge of protection that Satan cannot easily penetrate.

Jesus knows we aren’t perfect. His love and forgiveness do not depend on perfection. What He wants for us is to live in truth–humbled by His perfection and grateful for His love.

Trust Him to lead you away from sin.

+and into joy!

Gloria Nelson

Teaching & Training Consultant

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