This series has been a wonderful heart-cleansing series. The Lord has put verses and scriptures together for our benefit, and I am honored to be His pen. Let’s discuss an important word, the word repentance. Unfortunately, instead of being viewed as freeing, a very positive action, it has a negative connotation in our society. We do not like to admit or be told we are wrong. It’s like, “I got caught, now I must confess, repent, and say I’m sorry.” Which, truthfully, is not a bad thing at all. It’s the only way to get rid of baggage and self-destructive habits. It’s the only way to move forward and feel good about who you are. Men and women of honor know they are imperfect and are willing to take ownership of their errors or character faults.
James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much
The person we confess to is the one we offended, but also to a more mature believer who can counsel us and pray for us. We need help to get free of our addictions, habits, bad attitudes, etc. It is very doable, and we are not “Lone Rangers in our battle against sin; we need each other.”
This is where understanding and valuing “humility,” supposedly another “bad” word in our society, needs to be valued. I never hear the request for more humility whenever we ask for prayer requests. Yet half of our prayer requests would disappear if we did. We are so focused on our world, needs, and wants that God’s wants become second. If we could take our eyes off ourselves and align with God’s agenda, things would improve, and our self-inflicted problems would clear up. Humility makes God big and me small, which has excellent benefits.
There’s a great example of this in scripture. What would you say if God told you to ask Him for whatever you wanted? What would you ask for? Money, wealth, a great job, brains, good looks, and a sexy or strong body. He did this with Solomon, and Solomon asked for wisdom to rule God’s people, which pleased God so much that He also gave Solomon that which he did not ask for.
2 Chronicles 1:7
On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
2 Chronicles 1:9-10
Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David, my father, be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude (God’s promise to Abraham fulfilled). Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
These verses give us some critical insight into God’s value system. If one asks for “self,” make me famous, wealthy, intelligent, rich, beautiful, etc., all for self’s glorification, nothing will likely happen. However, if one makes humility the heart’s passion to see better and serve God, this pleases God greatly. It’s from this posture that we pray the most effective God-honoring prayers. This is the secret to all of God’s Great Treasures, treasures that money cannot even come close to possessing.
1 Peter 5:5-7 Submit to God, Resist the Devil
Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you should be submissive to one another and clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
An inner healing occurs when we confess our sins, mistakes, and selfishness to God. It brings healing and closeness to our relationship and is also true to human relationships, be it best friends, husband and wife, or parent and child. A closeness is gained when we humble ourselves and confess we were wrong. Also, we should honestly commit our concerns to Him and trust Him.
He may not give us the answer we want, but it will be the answer we need. Picture a diamond just mined. It is truly a diamond, but the beauty of it is not seen. Only the lapidary sees the true beauty, what it could be, and what it will take to bring out its true beauty, “Christ in us.” This beauty is wholly determined by the cuts it will receive. Some cuts are easy and light, and some cuts are hard and transforming, but they are all made with skill, with the end goal of bringing out the true beauty of the diamond, which, for us, is glorifying Christ.
Colossians 1:27
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The Image (or stamp) of the Immortal God via His Holy Spirit dwelling within mortal man is His greatest treasure, costing Him His Life. Man represents God’s greatest creation, and now redeemed through faith in Christ worshipping and serving Him proves the Eternal Plan God always wanted, God walking in relationship with man through the Garden of Life. God wins, satan loses. Which side are you on?
Father God,
Thank you for this powerful devotional, and its power is found in the reality of How Much You Love Us. That’s what makes this devotional convicting. It bids us to change, surrender our will, pride, and ambitions, and follow You. Father, help us to count the cost.
Why are forgiveness and repentance so important? As we will learn, they were critical to David’s life. For him and us, they are pathways to greater joy, peace, victory, and increased presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It’s a win-win. It’s why He died: to free us from the bondage of guilt and shame.
David had solved his problem; the death of Uriah in battle was a natural way out, enabling him to conceal his adultery with Bathsheba and save both their lives (stoning was what God’s law stated as the punishment, “if a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then both of them shall die. Duet.22:22). How would that go over today? We probably would reduce the population by 40%. Now, the concern of his sin and its consequences was over. He would marry Bathsheba and look like a hero. No one would know except for his general and some soldiers. He was free, but was he? It might be over because Uriah was dead, but guilt can’t be killed. I believe his guilt was crushing him. Guilt is an emotion that can break you and change you into somebody that you do not want to be. The T.V. program called the “Walking Dead” is an excellent example of how one feels. Guilt makes you feel dead inside while you live. All joy, all laughter, all peace, and emotions that make life worth living are hijacked as long as guilt reigns.
David was so ashamed of his behavior. He felt unworthy to come to God, and all the Psalms he wrote were praise and adoration to God. How could he come to God; could God even forgive him? Did he commit the unpardonable sin? Have you ever felt like this? We all sin, but then there are these evil ones. Can God even forgive those? Galatians lists some of these sins. Can you find yourself?
Galatians 5:16-21 Walking in the Spirit
I say then: Walk in the Spirit (“fill up” on God via daily Bible study), and you shall not fulfill (“or fill up” & succumb to) the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts (or wars) against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit ( more filled up on God’s Word than the world’s values), you are not under the law(under the power of the flesh).
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice ( make a habit ) of such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 7:10-11
And I found the commandment, which was (meant) to bring life, brought death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me (the law holds us to a standard of behavior that none of us can fulfill. When God told Adam and Eve they could eat everything in the garden EXCEPT the tree of good and evil what happened?).
And that is how it always is in life. What we can’t have, we want, and after we give in and the passion is over, or the object wanted is purchased, guilt and common sense return. We realize that we made a bad decision. It is not based on logic, morals, or our budget but on our insecurity and selfishness (which is not the best combination of emotions). It is nice to have nice things to enjoy, but to buy something because we need it to make us feel important is sad. We’ve blown our budget all for the admiration of others. I wonder if they would help us with our new monthly payment? Things and people can quickly become vain idols.
Luke 12:15
And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
The only people who will envy possessions are those who have exchanged true life for idols. People trying to fill the void in them with things or possessions do not understand that God made us for God. He has put within us a longing for love, significance, peace, and truth. These qualities are not found in things or in us.
Psalms 115:3-5
But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold (or cars, houses etc.,) The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;
Psalms 115:8
Those who make them (and worship them) are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them (lifeless).
They live for the “Ah ha” of others. We were made to be in a relationship with Him. It’s His approval and validation that we genuinely need. I had to mature to this understanding, which is the human struggle weall share. Living according to the desires of our carnal nature can be summed up in this funny rhyme, “get all you can, can what you get, and then sit on the can.”
Instead, for a believer, the bullseye for being secure is abiding in the love of Christ. Nothing else is eternal or so personal. If we do not choose Christ, our hearts will be open to many sins and temptations. A very dangerous and damning sin that affects our oneness with Christ is lust. Many of us have committed adultery and or fornication, especially if you define it by how Jesus defines it.
Matthew 5:27-28 Adultery in the Heart
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman ( or man) to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Adultery or fornication is nothing more than idol worship. That person is taking the place of God in our life. If you realize that, you can fight it and refuse to worship another person instead of God. Once I understood that, it was much easier to defeat it. I will not worship a person or thing in place of God. God showed me a vision a long time ago regarding lust. I saw a dam, and to give in to lust was to allow the dam to break. The dam could be repaired, but that patched area would never be as strong as prior. It would always be the weak point of the dam, and if I gave in. It would be where the enemy would always push on, so I stayed strong and quoted verses in Proverbs 5 that I had memorized and found the strength to resist. That vision helped me.
And now for “contentions and jealousies.” We have all experienced these emotions, but the question is whether these emotions control us. If so, that is another step in the wrong direction that can lead to opening Pandora’s box of sins. Once opened, it leads us to other sins, as we saw with David. I’m sure he never for-saw all the ramifications of his one-night stand.
Imagine how David must have felt being an adulterer with the wife of one of his valiant warriors and then giving the order to kill him because he was a better man than himself. When David calls Uriah from the battlefield, feigning an interest in the battle, he does not go home to have relations with his wife while his comrades are at war. Yet David would take his wife to bed. Enormous guilt, crushing; unless you have been in a similar situation (and I hope not), it is hard to imagine how he felt. David had never felt alone, abandoned, ashamed, and separated from God. Satan had him checked mated. God saw him and knew He needed to intervene.
So God did as He did for us via The Cross; we, too, were and are helpless and in need of salvation. God sent Nathan, the prophet, a good friend of David, to save David from the checkmate satan had him in. Nathan was not surprised when he saw the deadness and grief in David’s eyes. God gave Nathan a story to tell David, one that David could relate to.
2 Samuel 12:1-4
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
Up to this point, we have been focused on David, but what does this tell you about God? It was God who called Nathan, it was God who told Nathan what to say, and it was God who told Nathan that though David would pronounce death on himself, God did not, “you shall not die.” Do you know this kind of a merciful God, that He still wants us even when youhave sinned, violating serious commands? So repent, and return to Him before you make a bigger mess of things.
2 Samuel 12: 4-13
So David’s anger was incredibly aroused ( literally boiling over) against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you King over Israel and I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised ( to hold in contempt, to disdain) the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have [despised Me,] and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
A complex but proper understanding of why we sin is because our carnal nature despises God’s rule over us. To walk with God, we must conquer our carnal nature, daily and hourly, which is possible. Compare Joseph’s response to a similar situation. Potiphar’s wife was making daily advances on him(Genesis 39). She wanted him, and our carnal nature is just like hers; we want what we want, even if it comes in conflict with God’s will for us. It should be no surprise to anyone who knows themselves to read this verse.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
How did Joseph overcome this?
Genesis 39:9-10 (Joseph speaking to Potiphar’s wife)
There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
***The Holy Fear Of God ruled in Joseph’s heart, and this fear( not frightened of God but a fear of being without God) guided his steps.***
Proverbs 16:6
In mercy and truth, Atonement is provided for iniquity (His part), And by the fear of the LORD, one departs from evil( our part).
The fear of the Lord is to have such a love for God that to sin against Him brings a shutter in one’s soul. It takes time and trials to develop this closeness, but it’s worth it! Think of a diamond or gold, all the cutting or excessive heat to purify it or make it shine before it becomes part of a ring.
Many of us sin because of insecurity and low self-esteem. Memorize Isaiah 43:1-2 and Proverbs 3, and for sexual lust, Proverbs 5 & 6. Feed on God’s Word and see the Holy Spirit change you. Now, back to David.
2 Samuel 12:14-15
So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die ( though we are forgiven AND our sin is washed away because of Christ there are consequences, yet even in the consequences God will walk with us through them). Then Nathan departed to his house.
Here’s the relationship God is seeking with each one of us…
Psalms 32:7-10
You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah
(God speaking) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you( God’s promises).
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.
Father,
Thank you for this study. Your love for us is in our faces, but at the same time, it is felt. You are no different than a parent who deeply cares that his or her children go the right way in life, making decisions that build them up and not tear them down; choosing with wisdom their friends, knowing the influence friends have. Help us to see and understand You clearly so that we may follow You wholeheartedly.
Thank you, and Amen,
your son by Grace,
Arthur
Arthur NavarretteVida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.” Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.
