The Devil has many tactics to prevent us from seeking the comforting and loving arms of our Lord and Savior. One of those ways that he prevents me from seeking God is the feeling of guilt and shame. When I sin, I try to hide from God, just like Adam and Even did when they realized they were naked. The Scripture says that when God asked why they were hiding they said they were afraid. (Gen 1). Why should we as Christians feel afraid? We have Jesus who came and died for our sins. We have nothing to fear so long as we follow God. Anytime we sin, we need to ask for forgiveness and repent. The key word here is "repent." This means we must turn from our sins and continue on the path of righteousness. When we do not repent our actions have serious consequences for us and others around us. Read this passage in Jeremiah:
"During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, 'Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. Because Israel's immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,' declares the Lord. The Lord said to me, "Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah." (Jeremiah 3:6-10)
In this passage, Israel sinned by committing adultery against the Lord (which in this case means worshiping other man made gods). While Israel was sinning, her sister Judah saw Israel and decided to follow Israel's footsteps down the path of sin and destruction. This is where the message becomes difficult to comprehend. God says in the end that Judah (the sister) comes back to God in "pretense" which means with false sincerity. Judah may have said they were sorry but they most likely were continuing their same lives as before. They merely asked for forgiveness in an act of ritual.
How often do we sin against God, but continue on the same exact path, stopping only for a moment to ask for forgiveness out of habit not out of sincerity. The bible clearly states that God will judge our hearts. We cannot run and hide from God. We cannot trick God, making him think we're asking for forgiveness, but in our hearts we are not. Don't be mistaken, it is not good to be like Israel in this passage either. Israel's sin is what caused Judah to go into sin in the first place. I have seen many Christians in my lifetime, including myself, who have went down a path of sin thinking that we will "come back to God later" or we will be the prodigal son and return at another point in our life. Ask yourself this question if you are on that path right now, are you willing to be responsible for the other souls you are leading on the path with you? You may have intention to return to God at some point in time, but will the others? Your temporary sin could be responsible for someone's soul dying, condemned to an eternity of separation from God.
"Return, faithless people," declares the Lord, 'for I am your husband." (Jeremiah 3:14)
May you all be blessed. And please, wherever you are in your life right now, make sure you are sincere in your faith with God. It is better to be hot or cold instead of lukewarm......
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