If He Abides In Us

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”  Revelation 2:1-5 NASB

From the first sentence written down in the Book of Genesis to last word in the Book of Revelation, the Bible is correcting and teaching mankind.  When we turn to God with sincere repentance and put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are fully pardoned. we can look back and say we have been saved from sin’s penalty. It is God, by His mercy, who gives us the desire to even want to be forgiven— All that was against us, all that kept us from knowing God; all that kept us from discovering His love and His goodness—all of the penalty that we deserve—has been eradicated, erased through the saving work of Jesus when He went to the cross, was crucified, and conquering death rose again three days later as the most costly ransom.

As believers, then, we can—we should—rejoice in the fact that sin no longer rules over us. Yet the reality is that in our earthly lives, we still sin. we stumble and trip as we walk out God’s standard for our lives. And when we do, the enemy loves to whisper, “Are you saved? Will God forgive you this time?” To which we must answer, “Yes!” because Holy Spirit is at this moment advocating for me.

Every day in life we face challenges, we face choices; Every one of us is subject to battles….. I’ll say it again! The only answer, the remedy, the cure is King Jesus, my friend take hold of Jesus’ hand! He is right beside you, reaching for yours! Reaching for mine! This moment, here and now, is the time to choose to follow God, no turning back like Lot’s wife!

Jonah 3:8-10 NASB “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

Understanding God’s forgiving nature is not a license to sin; indeed, when we sin, the joy we have found in God begins to fade. While He remains our heavenly Father, it should be no surprise that if we harbor sin, we will fail to live out the kingdom existence He intends for us. 

He is the only God, Holy holy holy, the creator of mankind, the king of all nations, and still Jesus had a humble heart. 

If He abides in us, pride will never dominate our lives. Jesus had a loving heart. If He dwells within us, hatred and bitterness will never rule us. Jesus had a compassionate and understanding heart. If He lives within us, mercy will temper our relationships.  Jesus had an unselfish heart. If it is not I but Christ who lives in me, selfishness will not predominate, causing service to God and others to come before our selfish interests. 

And so we seek to live in obedience to our Lord; and yet, since we will not do so perfectly, we also must live in repentance to God. Forgiveness is not ours until we are washed by Jesus, and then He continues to wash us through our daily repentance, prayer, worship and faith. 

Thank You Holy Spirit. It would be impossible if we had to measure up to Jesus in our own strength and with our natural heart, we cannot attain this heart purity by our own striving.

Psalms 32:1-7 NASB “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” 

There is a strong correlation between what is happening in a person’s heart and mind and what is being displayed in that person’s body. Holy Spirit speaks into this connection and then goes deeper, for the Bible teaches us that there is a connection between the state of our body and the state of our soul.

In Psalm 32, David speaks very personally to God, acknowledging the heaviness he experienced when he hid in the shadows and refused to confess his sin against Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah (see 2 Samuel 11). And through David, Holy Spirit teaches us that there is a link between a tortured conscience and a lack of repentance and our physical well-being. Those who were in David’s immediate company may not have been aware of what was going on inside him spiritually. but they could not have avoided the indications of what was happening to him physically.

The description David provides adds to the account he gives elsewhere: “My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off” (Psalm 38:10-11). It’s a quite devastating picture when we stop for a moment and realize although David was a man with whom God was well pleased, he still chose sin.

David recognized his condition for what it was: a symptom. The Bible makes it clear that there is a natural outcome to sin, lust, excess, and a disregard for the commands of God (see Romans 1:24-25)—all of which David was guilty of. Frailty, weight loss, sleeplessness, a sense of rejection, melancholy, anxiety, and despair often haunt individuals who seek to hide their sin from God and deny it to themselves.

Psalms 32:1-11 NASB “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.”

What restored David was not a health kick or getting to bed earlier but rather dealing with the root cause—his sin: he repented to God, “I acknowledged my sin to you … and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). God kept His hand heavy upon David until David placed his sin into God’s hands and implored the Lord to deal with it. It is a blessing to us when God does not allow us to forget our sin—when we feel physical heaviness because of our spiritual sickness. It is His means of bringing us to do what we most need: to confess it, repent of it and ask for forgiveness for it.

When God forgives the repentant heart we are redeemed restored: HALLELUJAH!