Comebacks after Setbacks

[Bro. Bill]

1 John 1:5-9

Whether we have recently become believers or have followed Christ for years, the Devil seeks to attack our faith and cause us to relapse into disobedient ways. We are warned to be alert because our Enemy is like a roaring lion seeking to harm us (1 Pet. 5:8).

His intentions are to enslave us to sin. When we succumb to temptation, Satan presses in to trap us so that we will feel estranged from our heavenly Father. Then the Enemy will try to convince us we cannot return to God in our current state. Some of us become so miserable that we buy into the lie and embrace the world’s ways.

Since our Father knows both the Devil’s tactics and our weaknesses, He has planned a way of escape for us. It is called confession. Genuine confession means telling the Lord what we have done and agreeing that it is wrong. Then we express sorrow over it, acknowledge inability to rescue ourselves, and declare the heartfelt desire to turn from our sin and live for Him again. God promises to forgive us and cleanse us so our fellowship with Him is restored (1 John 1:9).

The Enemy is cunning, but Scripture offers a sound strategy for avoiding entrapment: “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is” (Rom. 12:1-2). Notice that victory begins with your thinking. The more you apply this principle, the greater your success will be.

Have A Blessed Day!
Dr. Stanly in touch ministries..

[Deb]

The Purpose Driven Life has a wonderful teaching on this. Good stuff.

[Ron]

Very true. Thank you Brother Bill.

[Bro. Bill]

Up

[murph62]

Good stuff!!! Thank you brother

[NibletGillispie]

Such a great topic.
Thanks

[LWolken]

1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

What is the light?

Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psa 43:3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. (What is Truth?) Psalm 119:142

Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

What is the Path?

Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Why is the way narrow?

Deu 28:14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Pro 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

The light is so that we may see our path that we may not stumble(sin). Ever try walking in the dark to your deer stand only trip and fall? Thats what happens when we walk through life without trusting and relying on His instructions.

Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

The Light is the word of God. This light is His instructions for life. His commandments and His law(instructions). They are the way to life.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

"In the beginning..." before God spoke the earth was in darkness, without form(order,instruction). Most of us have always taken this light to be the sun but a closer look at creation week reveals that the sun, moon and stars were not created until day four. So what did happen on day one that created this light? Instructions began by the mouth of God. His voice in the form of words were spoken as commands and these commands brought the earth into existence.

Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

The light is the Word, the Word is Jesus. They are one in the same. This is what John tells us in his writings.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus was in the beginning he brought the world into existence. Jesus spoke to Adam(Gen 2:16), Jesus spoke to Moses(Gen 6:13), Jesus spoke to Abraham(Gen 15:1). Any time we read "and the word of God came to so and so..." This is Jesus.

Joh 1:3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.

Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:6-7 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Jesus is telling believers to follow Him. Follow His example, walk in His ways and you will have life!

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

The word turn is actually return which is the same as repentence. Return back to His word His instructions for Life.

G1994
ἐπιστρέφω
epistrephō
ep-ee-stref'-o
From G1909 and G4762; to revert (literally, figuratively or morally): - come (go) again, convert, (re-) turn (about, again).

1Jn 2:5-6 But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Luk 11:36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

Paul says the exact same thing to the saints in Ephesus.

Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Since we must excercise free will and choose His walk what does the scripture say about those who choose to walk in darkness.

1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

What does it mean to be a slave to sin? First lets look at the biblical definition of sin.

1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

1Jn 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

The devil replaced Gods instructions with His own in the garden of Eden. If we replace Gods instruction with our own we sin and belong to the devil. This is exactly what Jesus told the Pharisees who replaced His instruction with their own.

Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Joh 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

Who is their(Pharisees) father?

Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Abraham obeyed Jesus going to a place which he would receive for an inheritence not understanding he went. Noah obeyed Jesus having been warned and by fear prepared an ark for the salvation of his house. Moses obeyed Jesus and he made the Passover that the one destroying the first born might not touch them.

Obeying Jesus and walking in His ways is by faith of the good things to come. Not just believing but doing what God says even if we do not understand 100% why. Do we walk as His disciples walked? We as believers need to excercise our free will. Who is our Father? Do we go the ways of the Pharisees obeying the traditions and commandments of men? Or do we walk as He walked?