Dave’s Monday Blast – April 27, 2020
There are only two kinds of men: those who function out of fear and those who function out of faith. I know what kind of man I aspire to be. I desperately want to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). So much of what I “see” makes me fearful. Fear is a sin that weakens your faith. Fearing sin however grows our faith. Have heard this maxim before? Sin will always take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay.
Specific to this maxim, Pastor Jim Denison comments: “If right now there’s a voice in your mind suggesting that this statement doesn’t apply to you, guess where that voice is coming from. The tiny SARS-CoV-2 virus, wherever and however it originated, has affected the world in unprecedented ways. It is proof that what we cannot see, can change the world we can see.
Here is the paradox Denison would say: “The more you are afraid that sin in your life is infecting you and others, the less you need to be afraid. The less you fear such sin, the more you should.” That is a powerful truth.
The mathematician, philosopher and theologian, Blaise Pascal observed: “There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.” That’s good isn’t it!
There is no vaccine that prevents all temptation in this fallen world, but there is an antidote to sin. INTENTIONAL men of God know that they MUST take the time to vaccinate themselves each day from the sin that so easily entangles; that sin of unbelief (Hebrews 12:1).
- Set aside a few minutes to be alone with God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind anything in your life that displeases the Lord.
- Then confess all that comes to your thoughts.
- Write down on paper what comes to your mind, specifically and honestly.
- Confess these sins, one by one, with a repentant heart.
- Claim God’s promise to forgive all you confess (1 John 1:9) and forget all He forgives (Isaiah 43:25).
- Then burn, shred, or otherwise destroy the paper and claim your Father’s grace.
Pastor Denison continues: “Ask the Spirit of God if there is anyone you have infected spiritually, someone from whom you need to seek forgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24). Reach out immediately to anyone He reveals to you, knowing that the longer you wait, the further the contagion will spread. Admit your sin and ask their forgiveness (Matthew 18:15). However they respond, you will know that you did all you could to stop the spread of the spiritual virus.”
Doctors do not yet have medical ways to eradicate the coronavirus, but the Great Physician has a way to heal the worst virus of all, that sin of unbelief that leads to a life lived in fear and sinful bondage. Will you seek His help and hope today?
