Wendy Pope
"Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight." Judges 10:6a (NLT)
When life gets hard, have you noticed how easy it is to sin? I have found during some of the toughest circumstances I face, I am easily lured into sin. The lure seldom comes from new temptations. It usually comes from areas of sin I "thought" I had left behind, repented of and turned away from. Our enemy is cleaver and cunning. He knows our areas of weakness and comes back to those places when we are at our lowest, in hopes to seduce us back into a pattern of sin. It is an age-old ploy. He doesn't stop using the tactic because he continues to have success.
The enemy's success can be proven by looking back at the repeated sin of idolatry and disobedience of God's chosen people, the Israelites. The ebb and flow of the Israelites' sin started soon after their exodus from Egypt. They had barely cleared the banks of the Red Sea when they began to worship a man-made golden calf. Even though the Lord showed grace and forgave their sin, they continued to be lured in this same sin until it became a pattern. When they faced their toughest times: hunger, thirst, and threat of death, they quickly turned against the Lord, looking for other places of safety and hope.
As we read through the Old Testament we find the Israelites became more and more blatant about their sin. They no longer tried to hide it. They worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but still held true to their devotion and worship of the pagan gods. Joshua called their sin evil. Evil is an ugly word, which means morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked. God's Word tells us that the Israelites' evil lead to their misery and their misery grieved the Lord (Judges 10:16). Our sin grieves the Lord and causes us misery as well.
Misery comes from the Hebrew word "`amal." It means to toil, trouble, labor, mischief. I found the meaning of toil to be very interesting: hard and continuous work, exhausting labor or effort. Habitual sin, like that of the Israelites' idol worshiping is exhausting to keep up with. It takes continuous effort to stay involved in sin because one sin leads to another that leads to another. It is toilsome and drains the life out of us. The Israelites sinned until they felt helpless and trapped, at the point of exhaustion. Then they would repent of their sin and beg the Lord to forgive them, promising their wholehearted devotion. In His continual grace God forgave them, but they would eventually fall back into their sin cycle.
As I read about the cycle of repent, rescue, repeat among the Israelites I have come to the conclusion that they never truly repented at all. True repentance of sin as repentance means in the Bible is to turn back. Basically, turn 180 degrees and don't look back. This is not what happened with the Israelites. They enjoyed their sin, but when the going got tough they cried out to the Lord. They simply offered the Lord "lip service" because they wanted to be rescued from their tough circumstances. They never depended on God long enough to allow Him to change their hearts.
Are you tired and miserable? God intended our life to be lived to the fullest, where He alone can make our joy complete. The only way to live this life is to put our safety and hope in the Lord by turning our hearts completely toward Him, leaving our sin behind and letting Him turn our hearts from the lure of sin. I want to be a 180 degree "repenter." I don't want to be a rescue-crying sinner who calls on God to bail me out when life is too exhausting and I am completely miserable. I want to escape the cycle of repent, rescue, and repeat. I am going to ask God to help me change my heart in the issues that I struggle with repeatedly. Will you join with me in this prayer?
Dear Lord, I ask You to forgive me when I fall into the cycle of rescue, repent, and repeat. Forgive me for treating Your forgiveness so causally. I give You permission to have Your way with my heart, changing it to be completely restored toward You and no longer falling prey to the lure of habitual sin. My desire is to live in complete obedience to You, the One and Only true God. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Visit Wendy’s blog to read more about the Israelites and their journey. And for more from Wendy, visit her resource page.
Living Free in Christ CD by Wendy Pope
Messy Faith: Daring to Live by Grace by A.J. Gregory
Application Steps:
Answer the reflection questions in your prayer journal or on a piece of paper. Confess any sin to the Lord. Pray today's prayer aloud.
God's forgiveness is beautifully portrayed in the story of Gomer and Hosea. Read Francine River's skillful retelling of this biblical story in her book, Redeeming Love.
Reflections:
Am I in a pattern of habitual sin? If so, what is the pattern?
What is the Lord saying to me about my sin?
Power Verses:
Psalm 32:5, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD' - and you forgave the guilt of my sin." (NIV)
1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)
© 2009 by Wendy Pope. All rights reserved.
"Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight." Judges 10:6a (NLT)
When life gets hard, have you noticed how easy it is to sin? I have found during some of the toughest circumstances I face, I am easily lured into sin. The lure seldom comes from new temptations. It usually comes from areas of sin I "thought" I had left behind, repented of and turned away from. Our enemy is cleaver and cunning. He knows our areas of weakness and comes back to those places when we are at our lowest, in hopes to seduce us back into a pattern of sin. It is an age-old ploy. He doesn't stop using the tactic because he continues to have success.
The enemy's success can be proven by looking back at the repeated sin of idolatry and disobedience of God's chosen people, the Israelites. The ebb and flow of the Israelites' sin started soon after their exodus from Egypt. They had barely cleared the banks of the Red Sea when they began to worship a man-made golden calf. Even though the Lord showed grace and forgave their sin, they continued to be lured in this same sin until it became a pattern. When they faced their toughest times: hunger, thirst, and threat of death, they quickly turned against the Lord, looking for other places of safety and hope.
As we read through the Old Testament we find the Israelites became more and more blatant about their sin. They no longer tried to hide it. They worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but still held true to their devotion and worship of the pagan gods. Joshua called their sin evil. Evil is an ugly word, which means morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked. God's Word tells us that the Israelites' evil lead to their misery and their misery grieved the Lord (Judges 10:16). Our sin grieves the Lord and causes us misery as well.
Misery comes from the Hebrew word "`amal." It means to toil, trouble, labor, mischief. I found the meaning of toil to be very interesting: hard and continuous work, exhausting labor or effort. Habitual sin, like that of the Israelites' idol worshiping is exhausting to keep up with. It takes continuous effort to stay involved in sin because one sin leads to another that leads to another. It is toilsome and drains the life out of us. The Israelites sinned until they felt helpless and trapped, at the point of exhaustion. Then they would repent of their sin and beg the Lord to forgive them, promising their wholehearted devotion. In His continual grace God forgave them, but they would eventually fall back into their sin cycle.
As I read about the cycle of repent, rescue, repeat among the Israelites I have come to the conclusion that they never truly repented at all. True repentance of sin as repentance means in the Bible is to turn back. Basically, turn 180 degrees and don't look back. This is not what happened with the Israelites. They enjoyed their sin, but when the going got tough they cried out to the Lord. They simply offered the Lord "lip service" because they wanted to be rescued from their tough circumstances. They never depended on God long enough to allow Him to change their hearts.
Are you tired and miserable? God intended our life to be lived to the fullest, where He alone can make our joy complete. The only way to live this life is to put our safety and hope in the Lord by turning our hearts completely toward Him, leaving our sin behind and letting Him turn our hearts from the lure of sin. I want to be a 180 degree "repenter." I don't want to be a rescue-crying sinner who calls on God to bail me out when life is too exhausting and I am completely miserable. I want to escape the cycle of repent, rescue, and repeat. I am going to ask God to help me change my heart in the issues that I struggle with repeatedly. Will you join with me in this prayer?
Dear Lord, I ask You to forgive me when I fall into the cycle of rescue, repent, and repeat. Forgive me for treating Your forgiveness so causally. I give You permission to have Your way with my heart, changing it to be completely restored toward You and no longer falling prey to the lure of habitual sin. My desire is to live in complete obedience to You, the One and Only true God. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Visit Wendy’s blog to read more about the Israelites and their journey. And for more from Wendy, visit her resource page.
Living Free in Christ CD by Wendy Pope
Messy Faith: Daring to Live by Grace by A.J. Gregory
Application Steps:
Answer the reflection questions in your prayer journal or on a piece of paper. Confess any sin to the Lord. Pray today's prayer aloud.
God's forgiveness is beautifully portrayed in the story of Gomer and Hosea. Read Francine River's skillful retelling of this biblical story in her book, Redeeming Love.
Reflections:
Am I in a pattern of habitual sin? If so, what is the pattern?
What is the Lord saying to me about my sin?
Power Verses:
Psalm 32:5, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD' - and you forgave the guilt of my sin." (NIV)
1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)
© 2009 by Wendy Pope. All rights reserved.
Labels: Forgiveness, God's Perspective, Overcoming, Perseverance, Prayer, Purity, Spiritual Growth
6 Comments:
I too have this sin that I keep doing and its not just a little thing. I know its wrong, but just like them, I enjoy it. I haven't completely given it to the Lord. It grieves me and I know it grieves Him. I will join you in praying to God to proclaim that I am delivered from this and that I have to cry out and come to Him first when I want to do this. Not go to Him last. I need to reach out to Him and stand on scripture, thank you Father for this today. To anyone that is batteling a sin, when you get weak, call on Him and ask Him to give you strength, and tell that ugly thing satan, that we don't have to carry this around. We can live Victoriously and not defeated!!!!!
Israel's pattern of sin, repentance and then God's forgiveness certainly shows forth God's infinite patience with them and with us. I have certainly been there. I am still there in some areas but victory is certain. Just have to keep fighting. Praising God for His victory in my life.
That was a very good insight, I recieve the enlightment of the revelation that you had regarding true repentance. It is a daily fight not to fall subject to the tricks of the enemy that will try tempt us back into our old ways. We have to make sure we continue to renew our minds and incline our hearts to God.
God Bless
www.lovedbygod.blogspot.com
I loved this message today. I am continually fighting the battle of the same sin and fall into the cycle. I thank God for his grace and his strength because over the past year I am coming closer to God and turn to him sooner! The book "Redeeming Love" is amazing as well as Francine Rivers other books.
I am continually battling an addiction which is also a sin,every day is a struggle with it,and it's probably not going to go away,kinda like "the thorn in the flesh" we hear Paul had.
I heard a great Bible passage recently,it is Romans 6:1-11,it tells us we should be dead to sin and alive in Christ,check it out.
What we ought to do is "Repent,Rescue,and RETREAT,not repeat.
God be with you all!
This is an area of familiarity with me. I would read about the Israelites and marvel and how quickly they would forget what God had done for them. Then the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I was walking the same pathway. I, too want to be truly repentive and allow God to clean my heart and put within me a steadfast spirit. 180 degrees. I like that and I receive that. Thank You LORD!
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