Rationalizing Sin: A Look Inside - Living Free - July 6
RATIONALIZING SIN: A LOOK INSIDE
Friday, July 6, 2018
Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org
Today's Scripture
"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood."
Thoughts for Today
This week's devotions were written as though the readers were all Christians. The same principles apply whether or not you are a Christian, but it is important to evaluate yourself to be sure you are a follower of Christ. Until you are, any change that you accomplish will only have temporary value instead of eternal benefit.
God created a perfect world, but Adam sinned and death entered. Since then, everyone has been born with a sin nature. We have all sinned, and sin separates us from God, who is holy. But God loves us unconditionally, and He had a plan. He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to die on the cross and pay the penalty for everyone's sins. Jesus, who never sinned, died in our place. He took the punishment for our sins.
God's forgiveness is a gift. We can't earn it. We only need to accept His gift of forgiveness by receiving Christ into our lives and choosing to follow Him.
Consider this ...
A good indicator that we have become a Christian is the desire we receive to follow God's will and to enjoy fellowship with Him. When we sin, we have a deep conviction that we have grieved God. To continue in sin requires that we once again harden our heart to the conviction that God brings to us through His Spirit.
If you have never received Jesus as your Savior, you can make that decision right now. Just talk to God. No matter what you have or haven't done, He loves you unconditionally and wants you to be part of His family.
Prayer
God, I believe that Jesus is your Son and that He died for my sin. I understand that forgiveness is your gift to me. I invite Jesus to be my Savior and I want to follow Him. In Jesus' name ...
These thoughts were drawn from ...Crossroads: Choosing the Road to Sexual Purity by David E. Longacre. Crossroads deals with choosing the road to sexual purity and is suggested for use in support groups and Christian counseling.
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Describes the sexual addiction process
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Shows how the sin of proximity often precedes sexual sins
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Shows the way out of sexual addiction
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Presents biblical insights to help a person break free and stay free
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Gives practical actions for renewing the mind
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Serves as a powerful evangelistic tool by providing a way to minister to people's felt needs and then pointing them to Christ
©Living Free 2018. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day® devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN, www.LivingFree.org. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending an e-mail to info@LivingFree.org
PO Box 22127 ~ Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 ~ 423-899-4770
©Living Free 2018. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day® devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN, www.LivingFree.org. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending an e-mail to info@LivingFree.org
