Willful sin... justified sin 1 John 3:4-10

Willful sin... justified sin 1 John 3:4-10

Patricia Ann: Posted on Saturday, June 02, 2018 

Forgive me, Father... for I am about to sin. Really??
                                                    Gods word tells us.1 John 3:4-10...
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
 

My heart sank this past week, as I heard these words spoken over the telephone from a distraught acquaintance.   "I've already asked God to forgive me for what I am about to do.  I know it's wrong, but I asked for forgiveness already so, I guess that makes it okay."  
Really?... I thought.  If you know that what you are about to do is going to disobey our Father in Heaven, as well as being an illegal act, why would you want to do it?  And why would you make excuses and justify your actions, even to a point of inviting someone else into your deception and putting them at risk?
I did see the reasoning that this person had thought out in her mind.  
She was distraught with an overwhelming financial matter.  Perhaps it was brought on by a sinful lifestyle covered up by living as a righteous Christian, going to church and giving her weekly tithe.   Perhaps she felt she had no choice but to hide the truth about her need for a very large amount of money to "settle a debt." 
My heart was troubled. As I thought how much Jesus wants to help us in every situation in life, I pondered the lack of faith that  people have and isn't it  all to often those who spend time in church, declaring a relationship with God, that aren't truly in relationship with Him?  
God does give us Scripture for this as well...
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,  disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
As I spent time with our Lord about this matter, I was given the above scriptures.
Oh, how it must sadden the heart of God that we do not trust in Him!
He is our ultimate Father, our Creator!   He tells us not to trust in man (or man's ways), but to trust in Him. 
 
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8  

The Scripture is very short indeed, but it does pack a powerful punch into truth and the way in which our Lord desires for us to live.  
I know it isn't always easy to let  go of our problems and give them to God. It is something that we all struggle with at times. 
Satan stands as our accuser every day. And it is the enemy of our God that whispers lies and causes confusion. He uses our past to condemn us, so that we feel inadequate ...so that we feel not good enough to even go to God for help in times of trouble. 
 Let us remember the words of our Lord,  "Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
 
My prayer for today is that we seek our Lord in all situations. Our Father in Heaven is truly loving and forgiving.  He answers in our repentance and make us white as snow.  Sins are forgiven and we are set free.  Know that we are made in the image of our Father in Heaven.  He finds joy in our coming to Him and in doing so, we find that the joy of the Lord is our strength and the way out of our troubles. 
Love and Blessings to all in Jesus precious name.   

Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 
Isaiah 1:18 KJV