Verses regarding our sin

During our Friday night Bible study through the book of James Pastor Phil recalled the following verses:

Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from sin?" ~Proverbs 20:9
For there is not a man on earth who does good and does not sin. ~Ecclesiastes 7:20 (emphasis added)

Pastor also read to us 1 John 1:8-2:2. Afterwards Pastor said, "We're not going to be sinless, but we CAN sin less." He has a great way with words, doesn't he? ☺

If you struggle in your Christian walk you are not alone. We ALL struggle, and that was the point. But sometimes I know I get really discouraged and I think, "Why do I keep struggling with this particular sin? Why do I sin over and over again? I feel like such a failure." God's word says that I am not the only sinner; we all fail! And even though that doesn't make it "okay" to sin, we know from 1 John 2:2 that "if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." We only have to confess our sins to Him, and "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9). What encouraging news!!

A Hymn of Faith

Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls-

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

~Habakkuk 3:17-18

If everything that was normal and predictable collapsed, the prophet would still rejoice.

(Taken verbatim from The MarArthur Study Bible, NKJV.)

Wait on the Lord

Our beloved Pastor Phil said once that "God answers prayer in three ways: yes, no, and wait." Well as a former popular pop song declared, "The waiting is the hardest part." When I get discouraged in my prayer life the Spirit usually reminds me of a song by Ron Hamilton called "Wait on the Lord". The verse that correlates with the song is very encouraging:

"Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!" ~Psalm 27:14

Our hearts will be strengthened upon our waiting on God's timing and not our timing. I remember when we still lived in our mobile home. We lived there for 5 years, and by the 3rd year I was praying so earnestly that God would give us a house. Several times David and I tried to get a home, but by God's will it never happened. Each time things didn't work out the way I wanted them to, I was upset at first. But then shortly afterward something would happen that would cause me to think, "Wow. It's a good thing we DIDN'T get a house." And I would be faced with the realization that God's sovereign will over my life is a GOOD thing even though it didn't seem like it at first, at least not to me. (God's will is good? Duh! I know, it takes me awhile to learn things.)

Gradually I started to like our mobile home more and more, and I had finally started thinking, "I really like living here. It's perfect for us." Well wouldn't you know it? THAT was when God finally opened the door for us to get a house! ☺

We have lived in our current home now for 2 years, and I am so very thankful for our house. Although I sometimes find myself missing certain aspects of our small, cozy mobile home.

My point is that God DID answer my prayer, but His response was, "Wait". I pray that God would strengthen our hearts through our prayer lives, and if you are growing discouraged I urge you to be of good courage and wait upon our Sovereign LORD. He is Faithful. ☺