I’ve got a simple but important question for you today: How do you view God the moment after you fall?
The way you answer that question may expose more about your relationship with Him than you may realize.
Let me explain…
I used to feel immense shame every time I gave in to the temptation to look at porn. Instead of running to God to help me overcome my sin, I would pull away from Him and hide. I kept trying to fix my sinfulness on my own rather than running to God—my only hope of overcoming sin at all.
But now, because I am beginning to understand what it means to be under His grace, I know that God doesn’t turn His back on me when I fall. I know my sin will never separate me from Him again. Understanding this allows me to come before God with thankfulness rather than hiding behind my shame.
Now, instead of running away from God, I run to Him—all because of His grace.
These days, whenever I mess up, I respond by praying in this way:
Father, thank you that this sin doesn’t separate me from you.
Thank you that Jesus already paid for this sin on the cross.
Thank you that you love me in spite of my failures.
Thank you that you still see me as righteous and holy because of Christ inside of me.
Please give me your strength so that I may better resist temptations in the future.
I cannot do this without you. Thank you Father.
When you respond to your mistakes this way, it does two very important things:
- It puts your focus back on God, allowing you recover through His power and not your own. When I was still trying to fix my own sin, my mind was constantly fixated on my sinfulness and all my failed attempts to overcome it, which only led to shame. Focusing on God’s power, however, leads to freedom.
- It’s a major victory in spiritual warfare. Satan is no fool. If he sees your sin drawing you closer to God, he’s going to focus his efforts elsewhere. He’s not going to keep tempting you in the same area once he realizes it’s providing opportunities for you to grow closer to Christ.
Isn’t it amazing how having the right perspective can make such a huge impact in your journey to freedom? Based on how I’ve seen this play out in my life, I definitely think so.
