“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
| "I believe if you spend more time confessing your faith you will need a lot less time to confess your sins." |
This week’s devotionals are from Buddy Owens, teaching pastor at Saddleback Church and author of ‘The Way of a Worshiper’.
How many times have you confessed the same sin over and over again? And you either wind up feeling terrible about yourself or you become calloused to the sin and just ignore it.
One of the reasons this happens is because we confess our sin without ever confessing the truth that God now empowers our lives. He is working from the inside out to change us. In other words, your confession isn’t just about agreeing with God about what you did; it is also about agreeing with God about who you are in Christ. I believe if you spend more time confessing your faith you will need a lot less time to confess your sins. This is the secret to a total, biblical makeover of your life.
As I mentioned yesterday, real change comes from the inside out. And when the Bible says “be made new in the attitude of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23 NIV) and “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2 NIV), God is reminding us that every behavior starts with a thought.
So if you want to change the way you act, you have to change the way you think. And you do that by confessing your faith because that helps you to think differently about yourself, your situation, and your sin. It reminds you that God is at work within you.
When you confess your faith, you’re no longer focused on what you once did or focused on trying not to do it again. Instead you’re focusing on what you believe to be true and on how the Word of God says things could be if we follow Jesus in faith.
Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest
