Tag Archives: Sin

Do You Question Your Faith? You Should!

The media has been swarming for years over this topic, and with each passing year we see even more angry religious people, angry atheists, angry people of various sexual orientations, angry people of various races, and just plain angry people in general.  Why is everyone so angry?  They’re angry because their beliefs are being challenged.  This post has nothing to do with me telling you what I think you should believe.  This has everything to do with you understanding WHY you believe what you do.

I grew up being told I should never question my faith.  What we believed was right, and it was the only correct biblical foundation.  That way of thinking never worked for me, and I was labeled rebellious–one who doesn’t like authority.  Even into adulthood I was made to feel the same  in some situations, and I prayed to not be that way.  In college I began questioning everything I believed, but I did it quietly out of fear of being told I was doing wrong.  I didn’t question because I didn’t believe.  I questioned because I didn’t know why I believed it.  It had nothing to do with rebellion or authority.  It was because I knew my foundation was not firm.  It could easily be shaken with just one confident person challenging me.

Have you seen someone get so defensive when their faith is challenged or when someone doesn’t believe the way they do?  It’s because they’re foundation isn’t firm.  If your firm in what you believe and know why you believe it, then it shouldn’t matter when someone comes at you challenging those beliefs.  You know how to back them up, and you don’t have to bring out the claws to prove your point.  You don’t even have to prove your point!  It’s absolutely possible to have a great conversation while debating your beliefs with people who disagree.  It can actually be fun and not turn into a heated conversation!

Yesterday I asked if I could Shake Your Foundation .  You know what you believe, but is it biblical?  Can you back it up with God’s Word?  There’s a controversy not only between Christians and non-Christians.  This controversy lies even within those belonging to the same church.

The controversy is whether or not one sin is worse than another.  Is her sin worse than his?  Is yours worse than mine?  Is mine worse than hers?  If I sin a certain way, do I automatically go to Hell?  Does God punish one sin differently than another?

What is Your Belief and Why?

I want to hear from my readers on this topic in order to help me with an upcoming post.  I want to hear your belief, so please comment here, and share with your friends.  The more input I receive the better.  Make sure when you comment that you include the following:

1. What is your belief?
2. Why do you believe this way, and back it up with scripture.

I would prefer that you please DO NOT “correct” someone else’s belief or tell them why you think they’re wrong (even if you try to include scriptural references).  They have a right to believe what they do just as you have that right.  That is not the purpose of this post or this  research.
***** THIS IS NOT A TIME OR PLACE TO BASH ANYONE’S BELIEFS, AND UNDERSTAND YOUR COMMENT WILL BE REMOVED IF YOU DO SO. ******

What’s Under Your Armor?

http://www.daisychainbaby.co.uk/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/she-ra_princess_of_power_229_1280.jpg

She-Ra Princess of Power - A Girl's Superhero Back in My Day

Every day you prepare yourself for what’s ahead.  You take into consideration where you’re going and what you’ll be doing, then you choose clothes that fit the activity, and you dress yourself.  Maybe you spend time working on your hair and makeup to get it just right.  Before leaving your house, you take one last look in the mirror to make sure everything looks just how it should.

My question to you is “What do you have under your armor—under your clothes, hair, and makeup?”

For the past two weeks we’ve been learning about Naaman in our youth group.  Naaman was a commander of King Aram’s army during Elisha’s days on Earth.  2 Kings 5 tells us he was a soldier highly regarded by the king, but he was hiding something.  Naaman had leprosy, which was a horrible disease during those times.  The disease was so bad people who had it were completely shunned.  No one would be caught near them out of fear of being contaminated themselves.

A very quick background of what leprosy does to a person:
A person with leprosy usually has blemishes causing their skin to appear scaly or like it’s rotting in areas.  Their body becomes disfigured from the twisting and curling of bones.   Someone with this disease has extensive nerve damage; therefore they lose sensation of any kind.  That means they can’t feel pain, so when something is burning or cutting or scraping their skin, they aren’t aware.[1]

Because Naaman was a man people looked up to, he didn’t want them to know he had it.  He clothed himself perfectly in his armor and walked out into the crowds with an appearance of having everything together.  No one knew the dark secret he was hiding.  No one knew that although he couldn’t feel anything or anyone touching him, he was more than likely in immense pain.

I’m willing to bet he stepped out in his perfect attire every day asking himself, “Is this going to be the day someone discovers my secret?” 

What’s Under Your Armor?

Right now, you’re reading this while dressed in whatever “armor” you chose for the day.  Is there anything underneath your armor that doesn’t match?  Are you showing people who you really are, or are you like Naaman concealing certain sins?  Do you appear put together but feel like you might fall apart at any minute?

In Naaman’s story, Elisha told him to bathe in the Jordan River 7 times in order to be healed, and it worked!  He was healed of his disease –a disease some people associated with sin during that time. 

Let’s face it.  We all sin.  We all mess up.  The cool thing is that Jesus has already done everything necessary to rid us of those mistakes.  We don’t have to strip down and bathe in the river 7 times either!  All we have to do is talk to God and ask him to forgive us and help us overcome whatever obstacle is in our way causing us to sin.  That’s it.  It can’t get any easier than that. 

Self-Conscious vs. Self-Confident

If you step out of your house not matching, you might notice you feel self-conscious throughout your day, and your confidence level may take a nose dive.  All the enemy wants is for you to have a breakdown in your confidence.  He knows if you’re lacking confidence, you’re less likely to lead others to the truth that is God.

The next time you’re getting ready for the day and take that last look in the mirror, ask what’s under your armor.  If what you have under your armor doesn’t quite match, talk to God about it and ask him to help you match the two.   A girl needs the complete matching ensemble, right?

Is Temptation a Sin?

Many times we think about the meaning of temptation and immediately think it’s a sin.  The bible says that God can never be tempted, right (James 1:13)?  Then again in Hebrews it says that Jesus was tempted in every way that any of us have or could ever be tempted (Hebrews 4:15).  How is it possible that he can’t be tempted but was tempted in every way? 

Being tempted and falling into temptation are two different things.  Let’s take a quick look at Adam and Even in the garden.  It all started with a tree, right?  They were both told they could have anything they wanted in the garden except that tree.  The enemy came and spoke lies (or a skewed view of the truth) to Eve causing her flesh to be curious about the fruit from that tree.  Tempted: She was tempted to try the fruit because it looked good. 

Was that a sin?

It wasn’t a sin that she looked at the fruit and was tempted because she wanted to see what it tasted like.  Sin:  The sin didn’t happen until she actually ate the fruit.  That’s when she fell into temptation.  She allowed her flesh to overrule what she knew was right.

When you read that Jesus was tempted in every way but that God can’t be tempted (and Jesus and God are one in the same), then you might wonder why it’s contradictory.  It really isn’t contradicting itself, though.  We are being told that Satan brought every temptation known to man in front of Jesus, but Jesus never allowed his flesh to take control.  He never fell into that temptation.

Because we aren’t Jesus, as I’m sure you’re already aware, we let our flesh take control too many times to even want to name.  Paul talked about this type of spiritual warfare in Romans.  Spiritual warfare is a fancy word for knowing what’s right but still desiring to do what’s wrong.  It’s like on TV where the angel is on one shoulder telling the person what to do while the devil is on the other shoulder trying to get the person to do opposite.  Have you ever felt like that?  You know you’re supposed to turn away from something, but you do it anyway, and then you’re just mad at yourself for doing it.  Then, you still decide to do it again sometimes.  It’s a horrible feeling, but we’ve all been guilty of it at one time or another.  Let’s look at what Paul said:

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.  I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.  But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  I want to do what is right, but I can’t.  I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.  But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I love God’s law with all my heart.  But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Romans 7:14-25

Does this sound familiar?  I remember the first time I had ever read this scripture, I was going through this exact same thing.  I was at a point in my life where I knew God and had a close relationship with him but wanted to do some things that I knew was wrong — and did them.  I read this scripture and was shocked that Paul had the exact same thoughts that I had been having!

If you find that you are tempted often by the same things, then you know that particular thing is a real struggle for you, and you shouldn’t face it alone.  God places people in your life for this very purpose.  Try to look around for strong, Godly leaders who have crossed your path at some time or another, and hold them close to you.  Find one or two who you feel comfortable talking with about personal struggles and allow them to hold you accountable.  That means that you explain to them your deepest struggles and temptations.  Go to them when you are tempted to do those things and go to them during those times that you went ahead and did whatever it was that tempted you.  They aren’t there to judge you.  They are there to help get you through those times, and really they are there to make you stronger and help you avoid hurt that they know is ahead in certain situations.  

Most importantly, don’t allow the enemy to tell you that God no longer loves you after you’ve made mistakes.  That is absolutely not true.  God loves you, and nothing can ever separate you from his love.