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Are You An Erring Child of God?
Some children of God have put themselves in the most precarious of
positions. Having succumbed to the temptations of the devil, they now
suffer consequences the majority of them didn’t consider before engaging
in sin. Some find that they (as some would put it) have “dug a hole
so deep that it is nigh to impossible to crawl out.” Perhaps they
have engaged in some sexual sin. Perhaps they have stolen some goods
from another person. Perhaps they are involved in an adulterous
marriage. Perhaps they have not been a faithful member of a local church
for months, even years. In all of these situations (and many others),
once-faithful disciples have fallen and now feel the sting of shame as
they find themselves involved in things they at one time “never would
have thought” they could be involved in.
Are you a child of God and in one of these situations? If so, do know
this: With the Lord Jesus’ help you can overcome sin, come back into
fellowship with God, and once again pillow your head at night, having
gained the “peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).
If you will repent of (i.e., turn from) your sins, acknowledge them to
God, and pray the Father for forgiveness, He will forgive. (See Acts
8:22; 1 John 1:9.) You have His word on it.
Are we treating this proposed change as an easy thing, a trivial matter?
No. It is not easy for one to admit they’ve been wrong. It is not easy
leaving the addictions of sin behind. Nor is it easy leaving behind as
well those acquaintances that have been instrumental in bringing about
one’s spiritual downfall. Repenting is not easy, but we do believe it’s
infinitely more times easier than continuing to serve Satan. “The way of
the unfaithful is hard” (Prov.13:15). How much better to be “set free
from sin” and to “become slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). While
one may still suffer some of the physical consequences of their sinful
past, yet these cannot be compared to the eternal consequences of a
faithful life in Christ Jesus.
May the members of this congregation help you? We do not look in a
condescending way upon your predicament, for we have all sinned and
fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). If you would like to talk
about how to once again enjoy God’s fellowship, do not hesitate to
contact us -- day or night! We will talk candidly with you and pray with
(and for) you.
Our God promises, “There is no temptation overtaken you except such as
is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be
tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make
the way of escape that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13). Have
you neglected God’s “way of escape” in the past? It still yet remains.
Can we help you take it?
--Mike Noble, for the Central Shelby Church of Christ
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