Lifestyle Bible Study Week 5: Sin

Free scrapbook design personalized with Smilebox So last week I was in Chicago. I love the feel of a big city. There is so much to do like shopping, restaurants, shows, etc. But it is easy to look around and also realize how small we are and that we are just one of millions of people on the planet. But God sees us very differently. He loves us for who we are and he cares about our future.  This week the study is about the Woman Caught in Adultery. She must have felt very alone and ashamed. She was caught in sin and drug in front of everyone to see Jesus. How embarrassing. Have you ever felt that your sin was on display or mistakes you made were known by everyone? The verse in Numbers 32:23 has always haunted me in a way.. Be sure your sins will find you out. We aren't very good at hiding our sin. Eventually, like the woman in this week's lesson in John 8, someone will find out our mistakes and more importantly God knows our sin. So, what can we do about it? Keep sinning or as Barney Fife says, "Nip it in the bud"?  I think getting to the root of our sin is what we are called to do, but we can't take care of our sin issues alone. We need God's help.  Are we confessing our sin daily to God, or moment by moment? One of the hardest things to pray is for God to show us our sin. Be ready. It is going to hurt. So often we cover our sins with excuses and blame it on our personality or it is a habit, but to truly grow with the Lord we have to be willing to ask God to show us our sin and remove it from our lives. Think root canal or removing a splinter from your hand... it needs to be done but it can be painful.  But here is the great thing. God forgives us when we repent. When we turn away from our sin and ask His help, he is faithful to forgive us and lead us into a much better path. That path includes us asking God to help us guard our minds when we face temptation. I remember a DNOW lesson from high school. Yes, they had DNOW way back when I was in high school. Anyway, I remember our leader asking us why we as Christians sin. It kind of stumped everyone. Some said because of Satan, others blamed situations or people. But the real reason he said we sin is because we choose to sin. Ouch! I had never thought of that before. I actually chose to lash out when I was angry or I chose to have a bad attitude or mistreat people. We have to guard our hearts and mind in Christ Jesus because in our flesh we will choose sin everytime.  As you study this week's lesson, I encourage you to get real honest about your sin and where you are with God. I know I  am. These lessons keep speaking to me each week. How will you face temptation based on the scriptures? What will you do if you fall into sin again? I suspect as you stay close to the Lord and accountable to trusted Christian friends, you will know just what to do.