Heavenly Father, I praise You for being a God who heals, the broken, the humiliated, the sinner, the one caught in the million traps of sin. Unlike the world and Satan, You care about us, no matter the depth we have fallen; we are Your creation. Help me today to take command of my day so that You can shake the evil from it.
Holy Spirit, I thank You for inspiring writers like David or Paul who know how far one can fall into sin. Yet they, by Your grace, would find victory in defeat when they let You take charge of their life. I have seen many public “Christians” fall from grace, and the world tears them apart. They let sin defeat them, and then the world swoops in and rips at them with judgment. Just like the woman whom the crowd brought before Jesus, caught in adultery, and they wanted to test Jesus. By their law, she was to be stoned. Funny how man’s law is death here, God’s law is death for eternity. Christ demonstrated grace, mercy, and strength in the face of a crowd who wanted death, judgment, pain, hate, self self-righteousness. They wanted someone to be lower than them. Christ wrote in the sand and then told them the one with no sin could throw the first stone. They were convicted and walked away. Christ was the only one without sin, and He did not throw a stone; He gave her forgiveness. He told her to sin no more. He brought restoration, love, and most of all hope. Paul, the chief among all sinners wrote: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to a propitiation through faith, in His blood for a demonstration of His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins previously committed, to prove His righteousness at this present time so that He might be just and be the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus. [Romans 3:23-26] I know I was a sinner and that God covered my sins long ago with the blood of Christ, but do I show grace, do I show mercy, do I see God’s creation and know how much it means to Him? Help me not to judge, not to hate, not to put down, just to lift myself. Help me to the one who can help a person sin no more instead of being the one who brings a stone. I see broken every day, and it brings pain to who I am. I believe this is the beginning of knowing the heart of God. Help me to wear my armor and fight the right fight. Help me to battle gossip, bitterness, rebellion, hate, pride, and most of all apathy. Let me live within the realm of hope, love, boldness, honesty, truth, and to truly live life as I am supposed to live it. Not just go through the motions.
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—whom should I dread? When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident. I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple. For He will conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity; He will hide me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high on a rock. Then my head will be high above my
enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord. Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. My heart says this about You: “Seek His face.” Lord, I will seek Your face. Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation. Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me. Because of my adversaries, show me Your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path. Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise against me, breathing violence. I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. I will wait for the Lord; be strong, and let my heart be courageous. I will wait for the Lord. Amen. [Psalm 27]