Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

I Peter

Types of Sin

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Most people think of sin as something they intentionally do. Those a little more mature in their faith recognize sin can also be things we intentionally do not do. Traditionally, we refer to these types of sins as sins of commission and sins of omission, respectively. There are, however, other types of sin. We can sin based on what we allow into our lives. There may be no active commission or omission in the circumstances, but simply allowing certain influences and voices into our lives can condition and predispose our hearts to sin.

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The same goes for what we tolerate. If we refrain from engaging in sinful behavior or attitudes but tolerate it in others, we sin by not upholding the righteous standard of our King. Recognizing that sin comes in the forms of what we allow and what we tolerate will close almost every loophole we’ve created in our lives regarding sin.

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Saturate

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As the world grows ever darker, the light of Christ must shine ever brighter from within us. The news and culture will weigh on us heavily and make it seem as if they might smother us. These days, I find myself driven deeper into God’s Word and having an irresistible desire to spend more and more time with Him. We need to constantly saturate our lives with God and His Word.

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We need to flush out the things that are not of God until all we have left is Him. When we fill our minds, ears, eyes, and mouth with His praise, the suffocating pressures of this world will become light afflictions we can bear in the strength of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:17).

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Making People Uncomfortable

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Are You making people uncomfortable with the way you live? That may seem like an odd question until you realize Jesus made a habit of making those around Him uncomfortable. If we want to live like Jesus, shouldn’t we be less concerned with having everyone like us and more concerned with making people uncomfortable when we interact with them? I’m not certain where the goal of getting along with everyone came from, but it’s ridiculous if you think about it.

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We are called to stand out and be different (1 Peter 2:9). We are also called to be bold and proclaim the name of Jesus (Matthew 10:32; 1 Corinthians 16:13). By obeying those two commands alone, there is no way we are going to be the “go along to get along” kind of people. When we choose Jesus, we choose to ruffle more than a few feathers by the way we live.

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Revival

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Much is being said and written about revival these days. To be certain, our countries, churches, and families desperately need revival. But what does that mean? How does revival manifest itself in the life of a believer? The first thing we know is it won’t look like what the world tells us it looks like. I’d love to give you the Biblical definition of revival, but the fact is, the word is not in Scripture. The principles of revival are there, but God’s Word never speaks of “revival”.

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We do see Jesus admonishing the Church at Ephesus to return to their first love (Revelation 2:4-5) and instructing the Church at Smyrna to hold fast to the joy they once knew in serving Him (Revelation 2:9-11). We also have the words of Peter repeating the Lord’s instruction to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). From a biblical perspective, then, the best definition of revival for me is to return to Christ with your whole heart, maintain the joy you once knew in following Him, and live a life worthy of His holiness.

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The Weight of Our Sin

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Pastor Tom Buck recently said, “Some people talk about sin like it’s a traffic ticket violation instead of a full-blown insurrection against a holy God.” I would take it a step further and say most professing Christians treat their sin as if it were a minor infraction instead of the devastating rebellion against the holy God that it is.

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Each of us sins every day in some fashion or another. It’s not the circumstances of our sins that matter or even the perceived seriousness of them. All sin is detestable to God. All sin demonstrates we don’t care how much it offends God, we only care about what we want. But the weight of our sin, any and every sin, should crush us.

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