I love storms; winter storms, thunderstorms, they are rare and exciting. However, there are those few occasions they cause the power to go out. When this happens, things get inconvenient. We light candles and use flashlights, but even then, we can’t see clearly; we bump into things and life slows down. We are not able to use the gift of electricity the way it is meant to be used.

When storms come in our lives, oftentimes, sin lodges itself in our hearts. When this happens, we suffer spiritually in our fellowship with God and one another. We are unable to see things clearly because we are blinded by our sin.

John uses light as a metaphor, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light. In Him, there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 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 1:5-9

Confession is how we walk in the light. We must step out of the darkness of our sin and into the light. At first it hurts as our eyes adjust to this bright and brilliant light, but if we wait patiently there, we will be able to see clearly and fellowship truly.

I love storms; winter storms, thunderstorms, they are rare and exciting. However, there are those few occasions they cause the power to go out. When this happens, things get inconvenient. We light candles and use flashlights, but even then, we can’t see clearly; we bump into things and life slows down. We are not able to use the gift of electricity the way it is meant to be used.

When storms come in our lives, oftentimes, sin lodges itself in our hearts. When this happens, we suffer spiritually in our fellowship with God and one another. We are unable to see things clearly because we are blinded by our sin.

John uses light as a metaphor, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light. In Him, there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 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 1:5-9

Confession is how we walk in the light. We must step out of the darkness of our sin and into the light. At first it hurts as our eyes adjust to this bright and brilliant light, but if we wait patiently there, we will be able to see clearly and fellowship truly.

It’s baffling how self-absorbed small children can be. They snatch toys from siblings and peers exclaiming, “Mine!” over and over. We immediately correct them and tell them to apologize to the other child. We explain why it’s wrong and teach them to not do it again. Sadly, this cycle continues for the rest of the play date, and you leave feeling like your kid may never learn from his mistakes.

Isn’t it interesting how we are like this with God? We sin daily. “This is my time, my life, my decision, my relationship, my goal. Mine, mine, mine!” We are so similar to kids playing together.  We focus on ourselves and sometimes hurt others. God commands us to love others and to confess our sin. After we admit we’re wrong, we must then trust that He forgives us and loves us unconditionally.

Think back to our play date. As parents, we require our children to admit they are wrong and to apologize. We expect them to not make the same mistakes again. But we don’t stop loving our children. Nothing they do changes our love for them. Likewise, God loves us regardless of how we hurt ourselves or others. There is no fear in confessing our sins, because nothing can separate us from his mercy, love and grace. God wants us to come to Him and confess our wrongdoings. When we do, He promises freedom and forgiveness in return. What a precious gift and what an awesome Father we have.

What kind of life do you want? Do you want an abundant life, full of light and freedom? Or, do you want a life marked by death, darkness and captivity? If you desire a joyful, blessed life, you must confess your sins and repent. But, if you want a life full of sadness and fear, don’t confess your sin and don’t repent. Better yet, deceive yourself into thinking you haven’t sinned, and you’ll be wonderfully deluded about your true state. Broken relationships, anguish, heartache and the like will be yours for keeps because you won’t be cleansed from sin.

The Bible promises “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us… and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Conversely, if we do not confess our sins we cannot be forgiven or cleansed. This is why so many people struggle with the same sins over and over again. We walk in our own strength and stubbornness, refusing to obey the Lord by confessing and repenting. If we would be healed, we must humble ourselves, confess and repent.

A person who confesses and repents from sin walks in the light. But someone who hides their sin and refuses to turn away from it walks in darkness. John tells us, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Therefore, we cannot walk in darkness and be in fellowship with God. It is impossible. So choose which life you want, and act accordingly. You will get the results you desire.

Oops, I did it again. This phrase, made famous by pop singer Britney Spears, is a catchy simplification of Romans 7:19, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.”

Like Paul, we have sins we return to again and again. Think about yours. Maybe you feel squirmy in your stomach. It’s not a great feeling, so instead of facing it you push it down.

The conviction you feel is the Holy Spirit who wants to help you and guide you. When we ignore the Holy Spirit, sin takes over. “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Romans 7:20-21).

Without the Holy Spirit, the cycle of sin followed by shame continues. But there is hope. God knows what we’ve done, and He wants to pour His grace on us. We can’t be perfect, but when we are honest about our sin and wholeheartedly seek to change, God frees us from our shame and gives us power over the temptation.

“Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” Paul asks in Romans 7:24. In 7:25, he tells us the answer, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Left to my own devices, I might define success as a luxury SUV, regular spa treatments, low digits on the bathroom scale, high digits in the bank account, a grandiose home in a gated community, and my name in lights for all to see. Fortunately, God knows I could possess all of these things and still be wasting away of spiritual hunger.

The world measures success with a monetary yardstick, encouraging cutthroat selfishness. But success in God’s economy is defined by submission. In His infinite wisdom, God reminds us we will be most fulfilled and most successful when we wholeheartedly chase Him and His plan for our lives.

As King David was dying, he imparted the secret of his success to Solomon, “‘I am about to go the way of all the earth,’ he said. ‘So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go…’”

We serve a God we can trust to have our best interests at heart. He always acts in our best interest, and we can find success and fulfillment through obedience to Him.

F-Bomb (Week 1): Forgiveness 101 by Trent Carpenter (1.29.12)

Forgiveness. It can free you from your past. It can give you power over your circumstances. It can restore what’s been taken from you. It’s your choice. Discover what true forgiveness through Jesus looks like.

In Galatians 1:10, Paul poses this question, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?” In a world where success in man’s eyes looks very different than success in God’s eyes, we have to wrestle with this same question.

Paul continues saying, “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” We can’t please both God and man. We have to decide if following God is worth losing man’s approval. As we follow God more closely, there’s a good chance the world won’t approve of everything He asks us to do. We have to become comfortable disappointing, confusing and upsetting people as we trust in God’s definition of success.

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14-15).

When we have been wronged, it is natural to feel grieved and even angry. When evil is done to us, we clearly see the brokenness and sickness of this world and we want someone to pay.

The truth is someone did pay. That person is Jesus, and He is returning again to set every wrong right. It’s healthy to mourn over what shouldn’t be, but we should take that emotion to the foot of the cross. There, we find the grace we need to forgive others as we were first forgiven.

One of the biggest barriers to forgiveness comes from the unspoken belief that our enemies do not deserve Christ’s grace. Only we do. The ugly truth is that when we nurse a grudge we minimize our own sinfulness before a holy God, and we minimize the grace Christ poured out on the cross to rescue us from His wrath.

The shocking command to forgive our enemies relentlessly, no matter how heinously they have wronged us—to actually bless them with good—should force us to see that all forgiveness is possible only through the cross. If we harbor unforgiveness, we show that we haven’t first trusted in Christ’s total forgiveness. His forgiveness sets us free from self-righteousness and self-reliance so we can live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

When was the last time someone hurt you? Cut you off in traffic? Lied to get ahead of you at work? Or, offended you with a thoughtless comment? If you’ve lived for any amount of time, you’ve probably experienced at least one of these scenarios. What’s hard to admit is how we reacted.

It’s natural to want to lash out at anyone who gets in our way or puts us down. If someone lies to us or about us, our first response is usually to get even. But in Romans 12:17-19, Paul encourages us to do the opposite. As Christians, we are called to live above the influence. We are called to kill the part of us that wants to rise up and take control when someone wrongs us. We are supposed to “live peaceably” and “do what is honorable in the sight of all.”

Those who wrong us will be judged but not by us. If we are honest with ourselves, we make terrible judges. God is always in control, and one day our heavenly Father will settle the score for us. So the next time someone crosses you, resolve to love them back and let God take care of the punishment. No matter how hard it may be.

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”  (Psalm 103:8-12)

We all deserve punishment but God offers forgiveness. When faced with the choice to forgive someone or harbor resentment, anger and bitterness, we should remind ourselves of Jesus’ mercy and grace. Forgiving someone does not mean we were wrong or they were justified. Forgiving means extending to others the grace and mercy extended to us.