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- Oct 26, 2007
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Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. Psalm 65:3
How often do you mistake being strong in the Lord with simply being strong on your own?
There are no caveats in this psalm about being stronger than your sins. There are no special exceptions for people who are especially determined when it comes to their weaknesses and imperfections. Sin may overpower you, no matter how much you may want to choose obedience. This is not to excuse sinning. The Bible says, after all, that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). So God does expect you to resist sin.
But you can’t make yourself more determined or more focused on your own. Your one and only recourse is the mercy and grace of a loving God. If you want to find your strength each day, you must find God, even if that requires beginning with a confession of your failures and weaknesses.
Whether you feel overwhelmed and powerless or you’re gritting your teeth in determination, you’ll never advance to a point that you’ll be able to blot out your own sins. If you rely on your strength and willpower, you’ll most assuredly lose eventually. But God’s mercy and strength will be there to meet you and deliver you. So cry out to God for His strength.
Once you rest in God, your strength will be endless.
How often do you mistake being strong in the Lord with simply being strong on your own?
There are no caveats in this psalm about being stronger than your sins. There are no special exceptions for people who are especially determined when it comes to their weaknesses and imperfections. Sin may overpower you, no matter how much you may want to choose obedience. This is not to excuse sinning. The Bible says, after all, that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). So God does expect you to resist sin.
But you can’t make yourself more determined or more focused on your own. Your one and only recourse is the mercy and grace of a loving God. If you want to find your strength each day, you must find God, even if that requires beginning with a confession of your failures and weaknesses.
Whether you feel overwhelmed and powerless or you’re gritting your teeth in determination, you’ll never advance to a point that you’ll be able to blot out your own sins. If you rely on your strength and willpower, you’ll most assuredly lose eventually. But God’s mercy and strength will be there to meet you and deliver you. So cry out to God for His strength.
Once you rest in God, your strength will be endless.
