Today’s devotional is Killing Sin. It’s interesting as the order changed from what I had looked at yesterday when I was finishing our last devotion on the 10 Challenges Every Dad Must Conquer. It’s a shorter devotional in that it is only 4 days long. This devotional was provided by Moody Publishers which has a great number of reading resources. Checking out the description of the devotional it shares the following: “If you feel like you’re on the losing end of sin, and shame has you hiding out in the basement of life, God has a plan for you to win and the power to pull it off. It’s time to put to death those sins that have been killing you. In this four-day study, you’ll learn about God’s strategy for dealing with sin and living in freedom.” Are you ready to jump in and grab hold of this freedom? Are you ready to jump in and hear God’s strategy to help us be the dads God created and purposed for us to be? Are you ready to journey with me through these 4 days? Let’s get started!
Today’s devotional gets us digging into the following scriptures:
‘But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ‘
1 John 1:7-9
‘Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. ‘
James 5:16
‘If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. ‘
Psalms 66:18-19
Today’s Word from God is powerful. I am so thankful that God’s Word never returns void! I am so thankful that God’s Word is alive and active! I am so thankful that God’s Word is sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Even when we don’t know what to do, God provides us wisdom and guidance as we find in today’s verse that tells us to walk in the light and to fellowship with one another so that the blood of Jesus will be able to purify us from all sin. God tells us to be humble because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and so don’t claim to be without sin and be found out to be a liar, don’t deceive yourself and live a lie. So today, let’s confess our sins to God who is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Even when we don’t know what to do, God provides us wisdom and direction as to what we are to do today: “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Let’s make sure we surround ourselves with brothers and sisters in Christ who are able to support and encourage us when we slip and can grab hold of God’s Word that says: “restore that person gently“. Let’s make sure not to go it alone but ensure we have someone who is with us so we can grab hold of God’s Word that says: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” and so let’s not go it alone and ensure we put Jesus at the center.
So let’s get rid of the sin in our hearts so that God has room. Let’s ask Jesus into our hearts so that He can help clean out our house home and create a new heart in us. Let’s take hold of today’s Word from God that tells us to let go of the sin and turn to God and allow Him to hear and answer our prayers.
Today’s devotional has been provided by Moody Publishers (more details can be found https://www.moodypublishers.com/)
Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me:
(check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)
For more information, please visit Moody Publishers: https://www.moodypublishers.com/.
Expose It
- Let’s be the dads who want victory over sin and so are ready and willing to expose our sin to God!
- Let’s be the dads who want victory over sin and so are ready and willing to expose our sin to other trusted brothers!
- Let’s not feel like we are on the outside because we are too busy ignoring our sin, justifying our sin, or even hiding our sin.
- Let’s be the dads who remember how it works as a parent with our kids and so look to adjust our attitudes so that God will get the glory He deserves.
- Today’s devotional share this example for parents:
- Let’s be the dads who respond to God when He is looking to get our attention in a very practical way!
- Let’s be the dads who stop and turn back to God, confessing our sins, so that we won’t be left in the dark, on our own, and without His voice.
- Let’s be the dads who choose to turn back to God, get aligned with truth, and walk in His blessings!
- Let’s be the dads who bring our sin into the light and out of the darkness!
- Let’s be the dads who bring our sin into the light of truth by confessing it to Him and friends.
- Today’s devotional points out the three powerful things that happen when we do this:
- Let’s be the dads who realize God never created us to go through this life alone, it is why He gave us one another!
- Let’s be the dads who realize God never created us to go through this life alone, it is why He gave His one and only Son so that we could be forgiven and reconciled back to Him in order to live out our lives in relationship with Him!
- We can see how this is true from today’s verses and how by exposing our sin “gives us a new connection with God and with people“.
- “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. (1 John 1:7–9)
- “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16a)
- Let’s be the dads who stop right here and right now and “tell God what sin or sins have a grip on you“.
- God knows even before we ask. God knows even before we speak.
- God is interested in having a relationship with us and so:
- He wants us to pray,
- He wants us to confess our sins,
- He wants us to have an intimate, authentic relationship with Him,
- He wants us to stick close to Him so that we can work through these things together.
- Let’s be the dads who come clean with God in order to be able to stick closer to Him!
- Let’s be the dads who want to stick closer to God because He wants to stick closer to us!
- ‘What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
— Romans 8:31-39
- ‘What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
- Let’s be the dads who choose to hold onto the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of God by remaining in Christ Jesus!
- Let’s be the dads who are ready and pursuing the strategy for battle against sin.
- Today’s devotional provides us with the strategy for battle:
