Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: seek

You Can Conquer Sin And Satan

Salvation

“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4:7‬

The story of Cain and Abel is disturbingly tragic.  How could the first child born of Adam and Eve commit the sin of murder? It wasn’t like the world was so full of evil like it is today.  There were only 4 humans in existence.

The Bible says Cain and Abel both offered up offerings to God but only Abel’s was accepted.  Abel’s offering was considered to be the best of the best. Cain’s offering didn’t please God.  Jealousy and envy began to rage in the heart of Cain.

God said to Cain in verse 7, “If you do what is right you will be blessed.  But if you choose to rebel then you will be destroyed by the deadly effects of sin.”  God made it clear to Cain that sin was knocking at the door and he must master it.  However in verse 8, Cain went out and murdered Abel.

God’s warning to Cain is the same for us today. First, we must be aware that sin is present and near to every one of us.  No one is immune to it.

Second, sin is personal and seeking to devour you individually.  Satan’s plan is to rob you of joy and fellowship. Will you allow Satan to win?

And thirdly, sin is powerful and you must have control over it.  Any unconfessed sin will harbor hatred inside your heart.  We must be wise and alert or else our life will be consumed with evil like Cain’s.

Sin doesn’t have to reign in our life. Jesus gives us victory over sin and Satan. We must have faith in knowing that we are victorious only through Jesus and we conquer sin by abiding in Christ.

Pray

Lord, I repent of my sin and turn away from it quickly. Help me to receive the joy of Your great salvation. Keep me from evil and give me a heart of love.

The Blessing of Forgiveness

Encouragement, Salvation

‍The Blessing of Forgiveness

“And he (prodigal son) arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭15:20‬

The Prodigal Son’s Father

Isn’t the response of the prodigal son’s father truly amazing?  He had so much compassion for his son and was so happy when he finally returned home.  Although, this joyous occasion was not what the son had expected to receive.  According to jewish customs the son knew that he would never be accepted back as part of the family but could return as a hired servant. Boy was he surprised!

As Jesus spoke this parable to the religious leaders (the Pharisees and Scribes), an intriguing aspect would have to be considered for the fact that the father ran to meet his son.  A first-century Middle Eastern man would never run.  Running would have caused him to pull up his tunic (so he wouldn’t trip and fall) and expose his bare legs.  This would have been embarrassing and degrading to a mature man.  However, the Scripture says, he ran!

The motivation behind the father’s shameful demonstration reveals an important truth.  The father ran to meet his son before anyone else could reject or insult him for his disgraceful sins.  Also because the father ran, it would have caused a disturbing scene.  The people watching would have noticed the emotional reunion and accepted the son back as well.  Only the father could restore the son back into a right relationship with the family.

God, the Father, accepted the shame of our sins through His Son, Jesus.  As Jesus endured the cross, the wages of sin was satisfied through His death.  As a result, we are restored and reunited with God in an eternal relationship.  No matter what we do or how far we stray, God runs to embrace His children with loving arms.  We are forgiven!  Isn’t God’s forgiveness a blessing?

Prayer

Pray and confess your sins so that you will experience the blessing of forgiveness just as the prodigal son did.