RESTORING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD

BIBLE PASSAGE:
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our
righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)

MEDITATION:
Do you remember the times when you felt you were living righteously
and had a close relationship with the Lord, but then suddenly you gave
in to sin? You weren’t planning on that happening, but in a moment of
weakness you allowed sin to overcome your righteousness, and it began
to gain control of your life once again.

Then came the guilt and shame. You may have had a sick feeling in the
pit of your stomach. You went from feeling clean and good, to feeling
dirty and bad. How did this happen? Why would you allow something
to damage your relationship with the Lord?

If you could only turn back the clock, undo the mistake you made
and return to where you were in your fellowship with the Lord.
But of course, there is no way we can ‘unscramble the egg’ of
our failures.

This is exactly how the Israelites felt when they damaged their own
relationship with God. It’s important for us to see they recognized
they had sinned, and they understood the destructive impact it had
between them and God. We can sense the disappointment and pain
in their words.

They felt as ‘tainted’ as a leper. Even their righteous acts felt as though
they were smothered by the filthy rags of sin. They felt like they were
wasting away and their sins were dragging them farther away from
God. They became like a ship that had lost its anchor – which was God.
They felt like their fellowship with God had been destroyed by their sinful
actions.

We can see that we aren’t the only ones who have had these feelings,
and it is a critical time for believers. We can either create a pity party
for ourselves and struggle with the pain and guilt of our separation
from the Lord, or we can think about the love and compassion the
Lord has for us. We need to remember He is God and He doesn’t
treat us the same way we would treat others when they disappoint us.

We might have moments when we feel our own lives may seem to be
morally good and decent, but when we compare God’s holiness and
purity to our goodness, our best still looks like filthy rags. The good
news is, despite our sins and moral uncleanliness, God still loves us,
but He doesn’t like (hates) our sinful actions.

God chose to provide a path of righteousness for every one of His
creations. It’s a good path with many benefits for us now, and even
greater benefits in the future when we step into eternity. It can be
very difficult for us to wrap our minds around the reason His path
included giving up His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins.

It is the greatest expression of love that could ever be given. And
Jesus also showed us the greatest act of obedience we could ever
imagine. Through God’s salvation plan we can see the width, height,
and depth of the love of God and His Son for us! This is part of the
firm foundation of our faith!

There may be times when others (even good friends) turn their back
on us when we disappoint them, but God has shown us the kind of
love He has for us (even when we stumble and fall into sin). He doesn’t
‘write us off’ as a lost cause, but instead He has His arms wide open to
welcome us back into a close fellowship with Him!

After we acknowledge His undeniable love and forgiveness, we need
to confess our sins against God, ask for His forgiveness, and make a
commitment to repent (to turn away from the sin that is trying to gain
control of us and ruin our lives). The Lord hasn’t left His position; it
is us who have moved away from Him, and it is our responsibility to
return to His open arms.

ACTION:
When we are followers of Christ, we don’t want to sin, but if we do,
we can feel a separation from the Lord that creates a painful feeling
of emptiness in our lives. Satan wants to convince us that we have
‘blown it’, that we no longer belong to the Lord, and that we can
never restore our relationship with Him.

Do you feel separated from the Lord due to falling into sin? If so,
then follow God’s formula to restore that relationship. Confess
your sin, ask for forgiveness and repent. Sin separates us from God,
but confession and asking for forgiveness restores our relationship
with Him.

Satan has at least two ways of using our failures to try to control us.
    – He wants us to believe there is no hope of restoration.
    – He wants to convince us that it’s not that big of a deal,
       so we shouldn’t fret or be overly concerned about our sins.

However, sin is serious business that can affect our eternity, so we
need to reject the voice of Satan which is trying to speak to us. If
we don’t, we are subject to having thoughts like,
    “I’ve already sinned, so what difference
      does it make if I commit the same sin again?”

The difference it makes is, each time we commit the same sin,
our guilty feelings will be less strong, and in a very short time,
sin will begin to rule our lives again. The further we drift away
from the Lord, the more difficult it is to return to Him.

Rejecting attacks from Satan is not an easy task that we can be
accomplished in our own strength, but God loves us and knows
our weaknesses which is the reason He knows we need a helper.
When God saved us, He gave us the Holy Spirit as our advocate,
to help us in becoming the person He wants us to be. We need to
admit our weaknesses and call on the Holy Spirit to silence Satan
for us.
    God, who knows the heart, showed that He
    accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to
    them, just as He did to us.
    (Acts 16:8)

    But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
    will send in my name, will teach you all things and
    will remind you of everything I have said to you.
    (John 14:26)

    Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does
    not reject a human being but God, the very God who
    gives you His Holy Spirit.
    (1 Thessalonians 4:8)

    But if Christ is in you, then even though your body
    is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life
    because of righteousness.
    (Romans 8:10)

    For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,
    but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
    (2 Timothy 1:7)

    If you then, though you are evil, know how to give
    good gifts to your children, how much more will
    your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those
    who ask him!
    (Luke 11:13)

Without God and His love, hope doesn’t exist, but because He
loves us and has compassion for us, when we admit our failures,
ask for His forgiveness, and repent, hope is never out of our reach!

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me in spite of my failures.
I realize that sin breaks my relationship with You and I want it to
be restored. I confess to You the sins that have invaded my life. I
am not going to make excuses or try to justify my failures. I admit
that I am the cause for giving in to sin and no one else is to blame.
Please forgive me for my failures and encourage me to avoid them
in the future. Thank You for being a loving, caring, compassionate,
gracious, forgiving, and merciful God. Thank You for Your Son,
Jesus, who sacrificed His blood to cover my sins so I can appear
righteous before You. Thank You, Jesus for Your expression of
love for God the Father, and for me!”

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