The Subtleties of Sin

FATHER, sin is like the hot water that cooked the lobster. I acknowledge how easily it is to drift away from You quite unknowingly. ____ may be in the pot of water on the stove—neglecting Your Word—neglecting (his/her) conscience (Heb 2:1). It’s possible (he/she) is falling away from You without knowing it, feeling content that (he/she) has satisfied Your requirements.

(His/Her) heart may be filled with unbelief being daily hardened by the deceitfulness of sin because (he/she) avoids fixing (his/her) eyes on JESUS (Heb 12:2) and/or avoiding circumstances where others can encourage (him/her) (Heb 3:12-13).

Ephraim said, “…Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin” (Hos 12:8 ESV). I fear that ____ comforts (himself/herself) by believing that (he/she) has not committed any great faults deserving punishment. I fear ____ has flattered (himself/herself) into security—taking any praise given to her to (himself/herself) and forgetting to acknowledge GOD’s part in it. I pray that (he/she) is not so hardened in sin that (he/she) is incapable of amendment (ref# 112, p880 [Hosea 12:8]).

Today if (he/she) hears Your voice, I pray (he/she) not harden (his/her) heart (Heb 3:15) to rebel against You. Help (him/her) realize that every willful resistance places (him/her) more and more into the settled state of unbelief (Heb 3:19). Make ____ realize the seriousness of not obeying You. Every resistance propels (him/her) toward a hardened heart like Pharaoh.

The prophet Hosea accused the Israelites of refusing “to hold fast and wait continually for their God” (Hos 12:6) (ref#125, p1639 [Hos 12:5-8]). FATHER, I pray that if ____ is in that position that You move (him/her) to become an imitator of the Apostle Paul— imitating his teaching, conduct, aim in life, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, as well as his persecutions and sufferings (2 Tim 3:10-11).

And, as I pray for ____, I pray for myself—that I be an imitator, too. The subtleness of sin is that water rising in temperature. Everyone is in the pot.

When we are present with You the water we are in cools but when we leave Your presence the flame is under us once again and if we stay away from You long enough the temperature of the water will kill us.

Fear

“O Lord, when I weigh Your worthiness against my unworthiness, I tremble,…” (ref#147, p274).

FATHER, Your eye is upon ____, You guard (him/her) from danger, You have ample ability to deliver and save (him/her) (ref#16, [Ps 33:18]). You are the only one Who can deliver (him/her) from death, therefore, I beseech You to teach ____ to wait in fear of You.

JESUS left His throne and became a helpless babe. Urge ____ to leave (his/her) independency and become as helpless as CHRIST, for His delight was in the fear of You (Isa 11:3). ____ cannot experience the delight CHRIST will give (him/her) if (he/she) is not helpless.

____’s fear of You, FATHER, will increase each time You rescue (him/her). I pray ____ discover Your joyous fear as (he/she) experiences the wonderment of Your actions— actions that cannot be explained or predicted or actions of the internal nature like the tax collector Matthew giving up his lucrative business to follow CHRIST.

O LORD, let Your steadfast love be upon ____ (Ps 33:22). Your majesty should make (him/her) afraid; (his/her) awe of You should restrain (him/her) (Job 13:11). Keep ____ listening to the thunder of Your voice and the rumblings that come from Your mouth (Job 37:2). For the fear of You is a sacrifice of reverence continually ascending to You (ref#68, [Isa 11:3]).

Tribulation to Praise

“All of life is meant to reflect the infinite value of Christ” (ref#124, p115).

FATHER, if ____ is to bring glory to CHRIST in every circumstance then (his/her) attitude should be the same in both easy and hard situations. I pray ____ choose to not let this difficult circumstance affect (his/her) countenance negatively at all.

If (he/she) is entirely void of self-love (he/she) can be plunged into an abyss full of tribulation without exciting any emotion in (himself/herself) (ref#128, p459). FATHER, give ____ enough confidence in You that (his/her) natural frightened, angry emotion will evaporate.

Stay (his/her) mind on You (Isa 26:3). The bride in the Song of Solomon delights in attempting to describe her divine Bridegroom (Song 5:10-16); Make this ____’s work.

Empower (him/her) to rehearse the qualities of the heavenly Bridegroom. Make it sensible to (him/her) that joy can come when (he/she) recounts His excellencies which are the most important to (him/her) (ref#128, p463). And, with the praise welling up because of such activity, push (him/her) ahead that (he/she) may exclaim, “He is superior to all attributes and qualities” (ref#128, p463).

FATHER, give ____ a revelation of CHRIST so shocking that (he/she) focuses on CHRIST and forgets (his/her) tribulation. Cause worldly thought to be silenced with the captivating love of CHIRST (ref#128, p463). May (his/her) words to CHRIST simply be, “You are altogether lovely” (Song 5:16). I pray that ____ be so humbled with (his/her) relationship with CHRIST that (he/she) be unmoved in any situation.

SPIRIT Check—Assurances of Salvation

FATHER, when I say, “I confess, with my mouth, that JESUS is Lord and believe in my heart that You raised him from the dead,” (Rom 10:9) I want to know positively that You accept my faith and have made Your home in me (John 14:23), for my heart can be deceived and my mouth can speak words without understanding (Rom 10:10).

Does Your SPIRIT bears witness with my spirit that I am Your child (Rom 8:16)? Let me examine myself to see if I am in the faith (2 Cor 13:5). For You give me assurances:

• Do I trust CHRIST (Heb 3:6)?
• Am I obedient to You (Matt 7:21)?
• Am I growing in holiness—am I always attempting to purify myself as CHRIST is pure (1 John 3:3)?
• Do I possess the fruit of the SPIRIT (Gal 5:22,23)?
• Do I have a love for other Christians (1 John 3:14)?
• Do others see my good works and glorify You (Matt 5:16)?
• “If one desires to know whether he is regenerated or not, he simply need ask himself one question: Have I come to the cross as a helpless sinner and received the Lord Jesus as Savior” (ref#33, p77)?

Wanting to Conquer Sin

PATIENT FATHER, instill in me again that it is my old nature still residing in the members of my body that wants to conquer sin. But when, under my own strength, I succeed in not sinning, I become prideful—I hug myself like Micah when he got a real Levite and made him his own personal priest (Jud 17:12-13) (ref#35, p311).

However, as I move closer to Your CHRIST, communing with Him, I comprehend my utter unprofitableness regarding my ability to not sin. In communion I am face to face with the Infinitely Righteous who knows very well my vanity.

Let me quickly assign honor and glory to JESUS CHRIST for all that He has done for me. This brings fame to You, FATHER. Let me speak this truth to myself: You are credited each time CHRIST pardons me.

FATHER, You are attentive to CHRIST’s work, not mine. I am justified and accepted into Your kingdom only by the activity of JESUS CHRIST. He bears my iniquities (Isa 53:11) laying down His life as a ransom for my sins (Mark 10:45).

My sins will ever be before me (Ps 51:3), so let me rack my brain to think of them, not so I can attempt to stop doing them but so I can realize the extent of them and celebrate in praise that JESUS CHRIST answered Your justice for me. He has undergone the punishment that was and is due me.

CHRIST takes my sins and bears them away—disposes of them so You, FATHER, can be pleased with me and I can cling to CHRIST as He provides love, life, righteousness, and peace for me. Yes, He provides. Continue to remind me, FATHER, that as soon as I look upon my sin believing I can remove it (by overcoming it), I lose sight of CHRIST.

CHRIST, You call me to You even with my presently known load of sins. You say, “Come with your guilt of sin—come unto me (Matt 11:28) and honor the FATHER by laying yourself before Me so I can remove your sins as far as the east is from the west” (Ps 103:12).

Let me call on CHRIST to remove my sin and not petition You, FATHER, to help me remove the sin myself.

“Praise is preoccupied with who God is and what he has done…Praise begins with a mind set upon God, but then those thoughts must be put into action in order to qualify as praise” (ref#153, p2).

Everything I’ve Done, GOD Has Done For Me

INCORRUPTIBLE GOD, (Rom 1:23)
Your greatness is unsearchable—
so vast and so deep—
there are no boundaries to Your greatness (Ps 145:3).

Who is like You— majestic in holiness, awesome in deeds,
doing wonders (Ex 15:11).

You do great things too marvelous to understand, excellent, unexpected acts
You perform countless miracles,
spectacular things without number (Job 5:9).

Wonderful You are in counsel,
excellent in guidance,
great are You in wisdom,
LORD of hosts is Your name (Isa 28:29).

You will ordain peace for me,
All I’ve accomplished is really from You,
Your name alone I will bring to remembrance,
You alone are the One I will worship (Isa 26:12-13).

GOD’s Image

“BENIGN LORD,
I praise thee continually for permission to approach thy throne of grace,…” (ref#76, p145).

FATHER, Your Son, THE CHRIST, is GOD, inseparable from deity, the second person of the Trinity (John 1:14,18). He is not merely an image or reflection of You, but absolutely the authentic representation of Your being (ref#96, p1813 [Col 1:15]). He comes out of You, the FATHER, as a Son (ref#21, p809, [Heb 1:2]).

CHRIST is “the Founder and Builder” of Your family (ref#21, p809 [Heb 1:2]). The seeds CHRIST propagates are ever being renewed and remolded into fuller and more perfect knowledge after the likeness of Yourself (Col 3:10).

Natural man can rule the animal and plant kingdoms (Gen 1:28-29), but he cannot rule the heavenly powers, especially Satan (Eph 6:10-12). He is unable to use his powers to reflect Your holiness (ref#56, p9, “The Image of God”).

Only CHRIST, being the very image of Your Person (Heb 1:3), rules all powers on both earth and heaven. He triumphs, and the community united with Him triumphs over the forces of sin, death, and the devil (ref#56, p14 [Gen 3:15]). Thank You, FATHER, for sending CHRIST to live in me to reflect Your holiness (Gal 2:20).

Prayer Facts

“Understanding is more taxing than doing, and meditation is a severer tax than service….The cost is not so much in the sweat of agonizing supplication as in the daily fidelity to the life of prayer” (ref#4, p27).

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because You are full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy (James 5:11), I will wait for You.
Because You give strength and fullness of might to Your people (Ps 68:35), I will wait for You.

Psalm 138

FATHER, in the day I cried out,
You answered me.
You made me bold—
Mighty and resistant to temptation (Ps 138:3).

For though You are on high,
Yet You have respect for the lowly.
You bring me into fellowship with You.
But the proud you only recognize from a distance (Ps 138:6).

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You will revive me;
You will stretch forth Your hand against my enemies,

and Your right hand will save me (Ps 138:7).

You will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever —
forsake not the works of Your own hands.
Don’t abandon me, for You have made me (Ps 138:8).

I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before armies of angels I will sing.
I will worship You and praise Your name;
For Your lovingkindness, truth, and faithfulness (Ps 138:1-2).

The Self-Indulgent

FATHER, because JESUS, in His priestly role makes continual intercession I bow before Him. Compel ____ to draw close to You through CHRIST, for it is CHRIST who is able to save completely (Heb 7:25). May Your SPIRIT perform His sanctifying work in (him/her) (1 Pet 1:2).

____ satisfies (himself/herself) with adulterous pleasure. Like Israel, (he/she) loves raison cakes—delicacies that appeal “to the senses, and gratifies the carnal impulses and desires” (ref#68, [Hos 3:1]).

(He/She) appears to be living a self-gravitating, dissolute life rejecting what (he/she) knows of You and choosing the way of self-discovery—deciding (himself/herself) what is right and wrong (ref#123, p31,33).

“God…never designed that the…immoral creature should sip its bliss at a lower fountain than Himself….Love to God…forms the grand requirement… of the divine law….no opposition of rival interest can lessen the obligation of every creature…to love…God with all his heart…” (ref#61, May 18th).

Even if ____ would turn and decide on (his/her) own to do good and make an effort to follow You, it would do nothing for (his/her) salvation. ____’s good deeds will not move You to accept (him/her) into Your kingdom. My prayer is not for ____ to amend (his/her) rebellious ways, but for You to call (him/her) to Yourself (Rom 9:16). Call to (him/her) in such a way that (he/she) will answer.