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Wondering What to Believe?

  1. Does Nature Give Proof of God?
    8 Digging Deeper
  2. Can I Hear God's Voice?
    8 Digging Deeper
  3. Who is God?
    8 Digging Deeper
  4. Who Wrote the Bible?
    8 Digging Deeper
  5. Can I Trust the Bible?
    7 Digging Deeper
  6. Is there a Right and Wrong?
    7 Digging Deeper
  7. Why Does God Allow Evil?
    9 Digging Deeper
  8. Who Am I?
    7 Digging Deeper
  9. What is the Meaning of Life?
    7 Digging Deeper
  10. Does God Love Me?
    5 Digging Deeper

Be honest with yourself and with God. Are you as good as God? No one of us has lived a perfect life. Think now of some areas in your life where you are unlike God in his holiness. When you do this, you will be ready to fall on your face before God and confess, “God, I need you. I am a sinner. I am not what you want me to be.”

To deny that we have sinned or have sin in our heart is to deny God and make him out a liar because he has said that we are sinners (I John 1:7-2:2). It is the height of narcissism and arrogance to deny that we have sinned. The Apostle Paul thought that as a good, Jewish rabbi and scholar that he had not broken the will of God. When he read the tenth commandment against coveting, he realized that his heart was full of sin (Rom. 7:7-13).

You might read through the teachings of Jesus and ask yourself about each of them, “Have I perfectly obeyed this command?” As you read, think: “How do I measure up to what God requires?” (Matthew chapters 5-7). Read the sins of the pagan world in Romans 1:18-32 and yourself, “Am I guilty of any of these?” Another list of sins is in Galatians 5:17-21. Have you done any of wrongdoings? If you are still not convinced of your sin, here’s a question that will bring instant guilt: “Are you as good as God?” The Bible says, ‘You shall be holy as I am holy” (1 Pet. 2:14-15). Do you know anyone that good? Has anyone ever perfectly obeyed the greatest command to “love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Matt. 22:37-40). All accountable persons have disobeyed some or many of God’s commands. We have all put ourselves and our selfish will before God.

We will never have peace within ourselves or peace with God as long as we deny that we have disobeyed God or as long as we do not repent of it and make changes in our life. There is a curse to hidden sins. The book of Proverbs says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (28:13). After repentance, Jesus wants us to commit ourselves to him by being baptized to become his full-fledged disciple (Matt. 28:19). At that time, God takes away our sins and gives us his indwelling Spirit (Acts 2:38). After baptism, when we do wrong, fail to do right, or in any other way disobey God we should confess our sins and he will “forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

Sin cannot rule over us unless we let it. It is not a sin to be tempted. When we are tempted we can resist evil by remembering God’s word as Jesus did when he was tempted (Matt. 4:1-11). Through his grace, God helps us to resist evil (Jas. 4:6-7). When we draw near to God, he will draw near to us (Jas. 4:8). He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5-6). We can lean on his strength, he will help us live our lives pleasing to him. By putting on the spiritual armor that God provides, we can “be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might” (Eph. 6:10-18). If we let him, he can do in us far more than we think or imagine (Eph. 3:20-21). Our faith can overcome the world (I John 5:4) because “the one in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (I John 4:4).