Daily Devotional - 9/8/10 (10/8/09)

Prayer Focus - Family



Day 1

Pray for:
One family member that you feel close to


Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs


Dear Lord - Help me to listen to You each and every day and please grant me the strength to obey.




Psalms 38



"My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.  My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.  I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning...My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.  My friends avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away...For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.  I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin." (vs. 4-6, 10-11, 17 & 18)

Sin can damage us in more ways than one. Our sin can affect us physically, relationally, and emotionally. The psalmist points to this when he describes in detail how our bodies are impacted by our guilt and sinful folly. I know that when I have something that I have not dealt with in my life, I become very tired.  I don't feel well.  Some people get headaches and stomach aches.  Many real illnesses have roots stemming from sin and wrongdoing that has been concealed.  Some mental illnesses can arise from this as well. 

Our friendships are also damaged by the things we cover up.  The psalmist mentions that "my friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away (vs. 11)." First of all, when we have sin that we are distressed about, we can't be close to others, even if the sin have nothing to do with them.  We are short tempered or else we tend to isolate ourselves so that no one will catch on to what is going on with us.  Often we lie to keep from being found out.  It is difficult to have good friendships when we are doing these things.  Secondly, relationships are cut off by the things we do to hurt one another or often by the thoughts and attitudes we have towards others that they might not even aware of. Best friends drift apart because on some unresolved issue.  Bitterness and jealousy also cause so much trouble in people's lives. If we let bitterness take any root in our hearts, it will take over. 

Emotionally, the affects of undealt with sin are enormous as well.  We lose our joy and can be driven to depression and isolation.  We become afraid for anyone to see the real person inside of us because we think they will not be able to accept us for who we are and for all the bad things we have done in our life.  We are truly walking in darkness.  We don't even know what is causing the dark feeling sometimes.  But sin festers and grows whether we realize it is there or not.  

Since these are the affects of doing wrong, it is imperative that we strive to do right. We must long for righteousness because in it, there is true life. We can know others and be known ourselves.  We can have clear consciences and walk with our head up.  It is so refreshing to not have any nagging thoughts about something we did or didn't do. To live a life of no regrets would be truly amazing. It can be discouraging sometimes though because we are all so far from this and we fail daily. What are we to do? We must begin by doing as the psalmist recommends - by confessing our iniquity and by being troubled by it in a good way (vs. 18). We need to get everything that we are hiding out of our systems and get ourselves out into the light.  Then we must repent or be truly sorry and troubled in a way that leads us to change.  Repent means to turn 180 degrees and go in the other direction. It is a sorrow that leads to action and not just depression.  Finally, we need to continue following this process so that we are staying in the light. 

This seems so difficult and if we have never been open before, it may seem impossible.  Without God it really is, but thankfully, He is there. He will answer us when we call and when we humble ourselves and ask for help. He will not be far from us and will come quickly to save us. He is waiting for us to take the first step back and then He will come running just like in the story of the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32).


" I wait for You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God." (vs. 15)


God is amazing.  Let us wait for God. He will answer.



Prayer for the Day
 Dear Lord,

Come quickly to save us. We know we fail so often. We have such great intentions but such weak results. Help us to start anew tomorrow and strive to deal continuously with our sins. Help us to hate them and strive to live purely so that nothing hinders us from being close to You and others. We want to live in the light as You are in the light. We want to be pleasing to You. We are lifting our souls up to You and are confessing and repenting of everything we know that is displeasing to You. Forgive us as well for those things we have done that we do not even realize displeases You. We are waiting on You and we know that You will save us.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. Is there any sin I am not dealing with at present that is making me feel guilty? Has sin damaged any of my relationships? How can I deal with these problems and make amends?

2. How do I feel when I finally confess or talk about something that has been bothering me? Why do I not do this more often?

3. Do I have someone who I can talk with on a daily basis to confess my sins to and get help from?

4. Am I striving for righteousness? Am I repenting or changing the things that I confess or am I struggling with the same sins over and over again?

5.  Am I calling out to God for help or am I trying to deal with everything on my own?  Am I waiting on the Lord for His answers?  How can I start to do these two things?