Lately I’ve been eating a lot of “humble pie.” I haven’t
been asking for any, nor wanting seconds and thirds, yet I’ve been finding
myself being forced to eat it! Whether it is through hard conversations,
getting my feelings hurt, or someone calling me out, I’ve seen more of my flesh
than I wanted to lately!
What is your response when confronted with your sin? I like
to think mine is humility, a teachable heart, and grace. Yet if I’m being
completely honest, I tend to be a blame-shifter. I can think of a million
different reasons why I sinned the way I did. “She raised her voice, so I had
to raise mine, “ “I’m not gossiping. I’m verbally processing,” “He hurt my
feelings! I’m allowed to give him the cold shoulder for a while,” or “I sin in
this area a lot because my parents did. It was passed on to me.”
Can you relate? When we put the blame on other people or
situations we are forgetting a few different things.
1.
We are in
control of our selves. No one ever forces me to raise my voice or speak
badly about someone else. We are always given the choice in how to respond and
act in every situation. When I’m holding a grudge or judging someone, I’m
choosing to. Jesus was in plenty of situations where he could have sinned, yet
never did. One of the fruits of the spirit is self-control. If you have room
for growth in this area, spend time with the Lord and work through it! Jesus
died so we can be free from not just the consequences of sin, but the power of sin in our lives as well.
2.
We are
new creations. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul says that after we trust in
Jesus, we are “…a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has
come.” Read that again. A new creation! We no longer are bound to the patterns of
our families or culture. Given the fact that we were all raised by an imperfect
person, it’s safe to say we’ve probably picked up some of their bad habits. But
through prayer, the Holy Spirit, and sometimes counseling, we can become aware
of those areas and fight against them. We do not have to victims of our
circumstances.
3.
We have
been given everything we need for Godliness. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine
power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through
the knowledge of him who called us…” Simply by knowing Christ personally, we
are given everything we need for
godliness. I so often find myself praying for the Lord to give me patience and
then I just wait around to feel the
patience. In reality, I already have access to it! We won’t always feel like
obeying or doing what we know we ought to do, but through Christ, we have the
ability to always obey! 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all
grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times,
you may abound in every good work.”
(emphasis added)
