Getting Things Off Your Chest

Do not be like the horse or the mule, 

which have no understanding 

but must be controlled by bit and bridle 

or they will not come to you. 

—Psalm 32:9

This verse is among a trio of verses in which David reflected on God’s instruction and counsel. The horse and mule are used to illustrate the wicked individual who stubbornly refuses to listen. For all the good in horses and mules, they are beasts that have no desire to work or to transport a rider. To be useful, they must be controlled by bit and bridle.

Can you see how this is an accurate description of those in rebellion to God? We exist in a world in which many people simply want to do things their own way by throwing off all restraints. The result is the removal of any sense of right and wrong. As this philosophy of life is played out, people are hurt and lives are destroyed. Like the horse and mule the only way to control someone with such an unrestrained lifestyle is imprisonment, a type of bit and bridle for humans.

In contrast David began this Psalm:

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, 

whose sins are covered. (v. 1)

He told how his body had wasted away because of the ever-present guilt of sin in his life. He described feeling the heavy hand of God at all times. Even his physical strength was sapped from his body. His description sounds like the symptoms of severe depression.

Have you ever felt the pressure of sin like David? Sin is oppressive; it ruins lives. Oh sure, we recognize the effects of the big sins: capital crimes, repulsive sexual immorality, bold rebellious sins. Yet other sins are more private and do not seem to be as serious because no one else knows. So we believe that we can just move on and it will all fade into the past.

In reality, sin, even private sin, weighs us down. We feel guilt. It is as if we have lost control. In truth sin has its own bit and bridle. It will literally take control of you and rule your life.

Our society believes in “getting things off your chest.” That is, at least in part, the function of much of the counseling that goes on today. Undoubtedly, that seems to help. It does feel better to be able to talk to someone, to share your burdens. But let me ask you a very serious question. Be completely honest.

What good does it really do? Does it really help?
Perhaps you answered, “Yes.”

Why, then, is it only temporary? Why is there another counseling session to be scheduled? Why does the weight of the burden return?

When there is sin in one’s life, the hand of God is the source of that heavy burden. There is no man that can take that off your chest. Listen to David’s words:

Then I acknowledged my sin to you 

and did not cover up my iniquity. 

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” – 

and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (v. 5)

When sin has control of your life you will feel its effect. You may discover times when sin causes you to feel depressed. That weight is the hand of God.

The only real and lasting solution is to throw yourself at the feet of God with an open heart confessing your sin. He will forgive your sins and remove his heavy hand. What a relief it is to get things off your chest by going to God in prayer.

Mark Stinnett

July 28, 2024

How Do You Hide from God?

Have you ever felt like hiding from God?

There are three common ways to attempt to hide from God and I think that, at one time or another, each of us had tried one of these. After having done something wrong, our conscience convicts us: “Guilty!” Our shame makes us want to avoid God, to hide from Him.

Adam and Eve: Hiding
After Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened. The next thing they did is try to hide their naked bodies with clothing. And then, when they heard the sound of God in the Garden of Eden…

“...the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” 

—Genesis 3:8

They literally hid, but It didn’t work.

Jonah: Running
God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh with a message of divine judgment. Jonah ran the opposite direction from Nineveh. He revealed his reasoning: He knew that God was merciful and he did not want the people of Nineveh (Israel’s enemy) to receive mercy. (Jonah 4:2)

Jonah had not sinned like Adam and Eve. He was not running in shame. He was trying to avoid God’s instruction. Stated more emphatically, Jonah attempted to hide from God through disobedience to God’s instruction! That too, did not work.

David: Denying
King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then ordered the death of her husband to cover up their sin due to her pregnancy. David continued for months without addressing his sin. He was hiding from God by denying his sin and guilt through silence.

David explained how his attempt at hiding worked out…

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.

—Psalm 32:3-4

We can attempt to hide from God in silence, like David. We can attempt to hide from God in disobedience, like Jonah. We can even attempt to hide among the trees, like Adam and Eve. In the latter case, we may attempt to hide by avoiding fellow Christians when we feel shame. Being around anyone living the Christian life makes us feel even more guilty.

Another way of hiding among the trees is by managing conversations so that no one ever gets close to finding out our guilt.

How do you hide from God? 

You can’t.

We must understand that God knows that sin separates us from Him, and yet, He loves to forgive. He doesn’t want us to hide from Him when we sin, but rather, race to Him confessing our sins. With open arms He is eager to forgive.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness.

—1 John 1:9

If we refuse to confess our sins, we are fooling ourselves in a futile attempt at hiding. Yet, when we confess our sins, we are running to God assuring Him that we agree about sin, that sin is hideous and that we desire purity.

Have you been hiding?

Do you need to confess sin?
Confess to God in prayer! 

Run to God...Now!

Mark Stinnett

December 10, 2023

Should a Christian Repent or Confess?

What is a Christian supposed to do when he/she sins?
The typical response is: “Repent!”

That would certainly make sense if you were using one of the English definitions of repent such as, to feel sorrow or to change behavior. Even a new Christian should know that God is opposed to sin. It is God’s holy nature that defines goodness and righteousness. Sin stands against the character of God. For that reason, it seems obvious that a Christian would feel sorrow for sinning against God. It seems obvious that a change in behavior is necessary.

If you have been keeping up with my series of articles on repentance, you might be scratching your head and wondering, “How does the biblical meaning of repent, to change one’s mind/perception, apply?

My objective is to find meaning. I want to know what the 1st Century Christians understood when they heard the scriptures read. So, let’s break it down.

First, when a person responds to the gospel message of Jesus Christ, he is instructed to repent. In general, repentance is in reference to the way he has perceived Jesus Christ. He changes his perception from not believing to believing that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ. From that point forward, his behavior will undoubtedly change because of his changed perception. Or we might say that his behavior will change because he has repented.

Once a person becomes a Christian, he should not change his perception about Jesus. That would be going backwards; back to a time when he did not believe Jesus was the Son of God. So, according to the biblical meaning of ‘repent,’ a Christian should not repent of Jesus.

Maybe we need to rethink our response to the leading question: What is a Christian supposed to do when he/she sins?

Not surprisingly, the answer is found in scripture and it is clear and simple. The Apostle John addressed sin and the Christian. Two verses are of great importance to our question:

I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 
—1 John 2:1

This verse tells us two vitally important things about sin:

• God does not want Christians to sin; and
• If a Christian sins, there is still a solution.

The second verse is also found in 1 John, a letter which was a letter addressed to Christians:

If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness. --1 John 1:9 

Does that mean that a Christian can sin and then simply admit it and be forgiven?

Yes, but we must not look at sin in a casual way.

Confession is more than verbally admitting sin. A rebellious sinner might openly admit sin...while shaking his fist toward God in anger. That is not confession.

To confess sin to God is to admit the sin, but also to be in humble agreement with God about sin. A person who confesses his sin but keeps on sinning is living a contradiction. His mouth is saying that he agrees with God about his sin, but his heart is not in agreement; otherwise he would stop sinning. So, his confession is a lie. Confession in the Bible is seen when the lips tell the truth and the heart agrees with God.

So, it is God’s desire that we stop sinning! Yet, if a Christian sins, Jesus is still the remedy. When we confess our sin God has promised to forgive!

Mark Stinnett 

January 6, 2020

I Am Righteous...Are You?

Today's blog is a companion to the previous one entitled: “I Am Not Righteous...Are You?” They are meant to be considered together.

Jesus was described as “One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin,” (Hebrews 4:15) implying that the rest of us are not without sin. The Apostle Paul was more direct: “There is none righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10)

Among other scriptures, these two tell us that humanity can only be described as evil. In fact, God looked at the world during the time of Noah and observed that “every intent of the thoughts of his (mankind’s) heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5) (I'm not saying that things are that bad today, but you get the idea...man tends toward evil.)

After the Garden of Eden, mankind needed a remedy for sin and unrighteousness. Many religious people have come and gone with ideas for a remedy for sin that are not found in God’s word.

• Saying lots of prayers never undid anyone’s sin and made them righteous.
• Punishing oneself never undid or paid for anyone’s sin and made them righteous.
• Doing lots and lots of good never undid or paid for anyone’s sin and made them righteous. 

Good does not cancel out evil.

Jesus actually did lots and lots of good works, but he never sinned. So, there was no sin in His life to make him unrighteous (evil).

I am thinking about the pure water illustration I used in my previous article. There are only two ways to obtain pure water:

1. Start with water that has never been impure.
2. Remove the impurities of tainted water to make the water pure.

Applied morally, Jesus began pure and was never tainted with sin. All other people, on the other hand, have been tainted with sin. The real problem with sin is that man, left on his own, cannot get rid of it. He cannot purify himself. The only thing he can do is pay for his sin, and the payment is quite steep: Death!

However, mankind is not without hope:

He [God] made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

--2 Corinthians 5:21

This verse refers to the sinless Christ bearing the sins of mankind on the cross. The Apostle Peter wrote about souls that are purified through obedience to the truth. He explained purification by referring to one’s rebirth “through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:22-23). The Apostle Paul described how the sacrifice of Jesus sanctified His church, “having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:26). The Apostle John wrote about the individual:

If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness. 

--1 John 1:7

I know that I cannot become righteous by praying a lot, by worshiping every week, by doing good deeds, or by punishing myself (or being punished) for my sins. Nothing can undo sin. Yet, God has promised to purify anyone who makes a proper faith response to Jesus. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you and I can be made clean. And understand this, we are not simply labeled ‘clean’ though tainted with sin. We who are in Christ...ARE TRULY CLEAN. We ARE the righteousness of God through Christ.

Mark Stinnett