I hope everyone is having a blessed day. Today I want to talk a little bit about falls. I think as Christians we all have them, at least I do. You’re feeling great, you’re attending church, reading your Bible, and keeping close communion with God through prayer. Life couldn’t be better. You turn on your worship music and it seems like all your worries drift away. But then comes the tragic fall. Temptation somehow creeps in; you take the bait, and next thing you know you’re left with feelings of shame and guilt. It’s a horrible situation to be in. But, I want to take some time today to let you know that God forgives you. I’m confident when I say this because I’ve experienced it myself. I’ve had my fair share of shortcomings but God has been gracious and merciful to me. I’m thankful because once God gets me through a tough time and I experience joy at the end of it I look back and say, “Thank You, God. You are good.” So with that being said I want to share this message with you hoping that you and I can understand that God’s faithfulness and mercy far exceeds what we can imagine. We can fall, but God lifts us up. The world might say there’s no hope for you, but God says, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
One of the worst things we can do is to separate ourselves from God when we fall. But unfortunately that’s usually what happens to us when we fall. Whatever you did probably looked pleasing to you prior to actually acting upon it. The fruit that Satan offered Eve probably looked delicious in Eve’s eyes once the enemy had built it up as must have food. Eve tasted of the forbidden fruit and look what happened. She and Adam disobeyed God’s command and only realized this once they had committed the act. But that’s what the enemy does. He makes sin look delicious like that fruit.
We all have those areas that we consider our weak spots. And the enemy knows you just as well as you do. If your weakness is alcohol the enemy will attack you there. If your weakness is pornography the enemy will attack you there and so on. I’ll give you a personal example; I never was much of a drinker. Sure I could drink a beer or two with friends or by myself but it never really was a weak spot for me. If there was alcohol great, if not, oh well. But to be honest with you my weak spot is pornography. So what happens? There might be alcohol, cigarettes, drugs at a place but it won’t entice me. But I could be looking at the internet and see a beautiful woman on the screen in provocative clothing and that’s where I’m tempted. With just a few clicks I can visit a pornographic website and fall. It’s happened to me before, why lie to you? But God wants us to know that He is forgiving.
When we fall we take the Adam and Eve approach. We hide ourselves from God for many reasons. Feelings of sadness, guilt, and shame push us away from God. We feel like failures. “I failed God. I’m such a bad person. I’ve ruined my testimony. I feel dirty. There’s no more forgiveness for me.” And the list goes on, but let me tell you that there is hope. God does forgive you but it’s important that we confess our sins. God sees everything. When Adam and Eve sinned God already knew what they had done. Yet he asked them, “Where art thou?”
God is always going to be a gentleman and He’s waiting for your response for Him to enter your life. The enemy doesn’t work that way. If you open the door just a bit the enemy will barge in and destroy everything inside your home. But God patiently knocks; “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” – Revelation 3:20.
The most important thing you can do when those falls come is to go to God as soon as possible. Run to Him because the Bible says that He is our refuge. The enemy’s goal is to keep you away from God but God says “come!” I’ve been in a position before where I sinned and felt so guilty about it and shame just made me feel terrible. But it’s been a learning experience. I’ve gone to Him in prayer with a sincere heart and I’ve opened up to Him. Even when I don’t feel it I tell God, “Lord, You’re word says that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Your word says that I am more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ.”
It’s important to know that you may not even want to pray in a moment like this. All those negative feelings and thoughts will keep you away from coming to God. But just know that it’s the enemy who’s behind those thoughts.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10
When and if you fall the number one thing is to go to Him in prayer. Don’t let the enemy intimidate you and get you into a corner. God forgives you of any sin and He’ll cleanse you. The blood that Jesus Christ shed more than 2,000 years ago is still hot and fresh. He died for our past, present, and future sins. Now I’m not justifying sin. I don’t want you to think I’m telling you to go sin because God will forgive you. But, what I am saying is that if you want to live for God. You love God and you sincerely want to serve Him but you happen to fall understand that God forgives you. You can go to Him today in prayer and receive His forgiveness.
God paid a big price for you and I. The word says that He took our sins upon Him. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus became our sin. Picture this; your weak spots, your sins, those things you do and think that are sinful before God had a face. Jesus Christ became that sin for you and I. Because sin has consequences someone had to pay the price. A fair judge would send a murderer to jail. A fair judge would send a thief to jail. A fair God would send a sinner to hell. But thank God that Jesus Christ became our sin and He paid the full price for us.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16
God loves you and He forgives you because Jesus already paid the price for you and me. All you need to do is confess your sins. Go to God in prayer and talk to Him and watch how He’ll forgive you and you’ll feel a peace that surpasses all knowledge. God is good and His mercy is everlasting. The enemy wants to separate you from God but remember that you are more than a conqueror through Him that loved you. Don’t give up! If you fall get back up because how funny would it look if someone fell on the ground and never got back up? Sometimes that’s how we look. We fall but we refuse to get back up. But today is a good day to come to Christ. Any day that God wakes us up is a good day to come to Christ. So be encouraged. God loves you and here’s a comforting word from God to you and I. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” – Philippians 1:6
-Gilberto Torres Jr.
