My Sin Problem

Have you ever talked to God and gotten an immediate response? I do. Sometimes God speaks louder than words. Sometimes His voice is so unmistakable, that you just know it's Him speaking. The words are usually quite profound. And almost always, they say something that my own mind wouldn't be capable of.

So I'm looking at sin today. The Bible tells us that because God is holy, He must punish sinners. Of course disobedience is sin ... and it breaks my fellowship with God. So I'm talking to God today and I say, "Lord, it is clear that I am disobedient and still sin. Often the results of my sin confront and afflict me. Lord, You are my God in the truest way that I know how to make You my God. But I see that I fall short in many ways. How can I improve my obedience to You?"

It seemed simple enough. I was ready to go jump in the shower and then God speaks. Like I said, profoundly, unmistakably and so contrary to my own thinking. He told me three things I must do to improve my obedience to Him. Here's what God said.

1. I must drop my excuses and self-defense.
2. I must stop trying to hide from God. (Do I do that, Lord?)
3. I must become convinced that God's ways are better than my own.

It would seem that these are obvious. It would seem that I shouldn't be struggling with any of them, especially the last one! But I see that I am. God is right. (Go figure!) So here is my prayer for today.

"Lord, help me to drop my excuses and desire to run from the circumstances of my sin. Apparently they are so deep that I am often not even conscious of them. Show me where and how I may be hiding from You. It's hard to imagine that I would be doing that. I love You so. But if I am, I want to address it. And finally, Lord, help me to become convinced that Your ways are better than mine. That feels like a stupid request to make. I know in my head that Your ways are better. I'm not arguing with You. But I see that my behaviors, and even some of my thinking reflect the fact that I am not fully and completely convinced that Your ways are best. Teach me, Father. Convince me. These things I pray in Jesus' name. Amen."