Why Christians Should Deal With Sin (Before Sin Deals With Them)

 Discover why dealing with sin is essential to living a joyful, victorious Christian life. This encouraging biblical devotional explores the freedom found in repentance, God's amazing grace, and how letting Him cleanse our hearts leads to lasting peace.

Transcript

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One, two, three. Hi friends. Today I want to speak to you about why Christians should deal with sin before sin deals with them. Let's be honest. Most of us love spring cleaning as long as someone else is doing it. The same is often true spiritually. We'd rather organize our Bible tabs, buy another devotional, or memorize another verse than open the closet where we've hidden that little sin, yet God never intended his children to live with spiritual clutter. Sin is not a pet that we can one, two, three. Sin is not a pet that can be house trained. It's more like termites. You may not hear them chewing, but eventually they'll weaken the entire structure. King David understood this firsthand. After trying to ignore his sin, he wrote, When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. Unconfessed sin is exhausting. It stills joy, dulls our prayers, weakens our witness, and creates distance in our fellowship with God, not because he moves away, but because we do. The Apostle John gives us tremendous hope. In the book of 1 John 1 9, it says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Notice that God doesn't merely forgive, he cleanses. Imagine spilling grape juice on a white carpet. You could throw a decorative rug over the stain and pretend it isn't there. That's what many people do with sin. They cover it with excuses, busyness, or comparisons. At least I'm not as bad as, have you ever said, one, two, three. Have you ever said this? At least I'm not as bad as Susie down the road. But God isn't interested in cosmetic cover-ups. He wants to remove the stain altogether. The writer of Hebrews reminds believers in the book of Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 1, it says, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us. Some sins aren't merely bad habits, they're trip hazards. They quietly wait until we're running well and then grab our ankle at just the wrong moment. Here's a little humor for this perspective. Leaving sin unintended is like ignoring the check engine light because you don't like orange lights. Eventually your car won't care about your feelings. Well, neither will sin. Jesus didn't endure the cross so we could comfortably one, two, three. Jesus didn't ignore the cross. One, two, three. Jesus didn't endure the cross so that we could comfortably, well, I can't speak today. One, two, three. Jesus didn't endure the cross so that we could comfortably coexist with what nailed him there. He died to set us free. Paul asked believers a sobering question in the book of Romans, chapter 6, verses 1 through 2. He says, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. Friend, grace is a gift from God, but like any other gift, it's not meant to be abused. Thankfully, dealing with sin doesn't require perfection, it requires humility. God isn't looking for flawless people, he's looking for surrendered hearts. In the book of James, chapter 4, verse 8, James offers this invitation. He says, Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts. There is an incredible freedom on the other side of repentance. Peace replaces guilt. Joy returns fellowship. One, two, three. Peace replaces guilt. Oh, it's going to be on peace. One, two, three. Peace replaces guilt. Joy returns. Fellowship is restored. The burden you've been dragging can finally be laid down. So today, ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart. If he lovingly puts his finger on something, don't argue with him. Don't rename it. Don't excuse it. And for goodness sake, do not ignore it. Simply confess it. God has never rejected a truly repentant heart. In fact, he delights in restoring his children. After all, it's much easier to let God clean your heart than to keep hiding spiritual dust bunnies under the rug. And unlike the junk drawer in your kitchen, your heart was never designed to store things that don't belong there. This is why the psalmist says in chapter 55, verse 22, cast your burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain you. I'm going to go back and do this. This is why, in case I said that wrong. This is why the psalmist said in the chapter 55, verse 22 Cast your burdens on the Lord, and he shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Selah. I don't even know if I recorded this.