I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate.                    Romans 7:15 (ESV)

Pride always comes back to visit.  I am sure I did not invite it, it was not welcome, it just came on over.

This time I was just making my own plans.  Trying to decide what I wanted to do for God.  I wasn’t bothering to ask God what He wants me to do or waiting for Him to show me.  I was full of myself and not full of confidence in HIS plan for me.

Speaking of God, Psalm 103:10 says, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”  What a gift to know that after asking God to forgive me – He had.  That’s who He is.  His mercies never cease.  All of His promises are trustworthy but I find it most comforting to know that’s true about His promise to forgive us when we confess our sin (1 John 1:9).

In the past my habit has to been to spend some time in agony after the conviction of sin.  I beat myself up about allowing myself to be caught in it again.  I tell myself that others who have studied and taught the Bible don’t fall into sin like this.  Maybe I ought to get out of ministry!  You know what?  That’s all pride.  The desire to hide my humanity, my fallen nature.

God hates pride (Amos 6:8).

Even Paul, who  had a very personal encounter with Jesus and was a far better servant of God than I could ever pretend to be, said this, “I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate.” Romans 7:15 (ESV)

In Colossians 3:15-17, Paul tells the Colossians two times in three verses to be thankful.  We need to thank God that He does not leave us in our sin.  He convicts us of it so that we will turn back to Him.  Isaiah 59:2 clearly tells us that our sin will separate us from God.  Thank God that He loves you and me so much that He does not want that separation.  He convicts us to close the gap!

What a loving God, tender Shepherd, and merciful King!

Do you have one of these sins that comes to call on you uninvited?  Anger, gossip, a critical spirit, over-eating, foul language, pride?  Does it show up when you’re least expecting it?

God’s will for us is to grow in the likeness of the sinless Christ so He will always answer our prayers to overcome these sinful strongholds in our lives.  When He shows them to us, will we confess the sin and then thank our God for loving us so much that He will not leave us in our sin?

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  1 John 2:1

Uninvited Sin can be escorted out by the One who will advocate before the Father for us. That, too, is worth thanksgiving!