Sinners Shall Be Converted – Part Two

Yesterday we learned that step one in preparing our hearts for evangelism was purity:

    “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

Today I want to share with you step two, which is unity:

    “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:11)

Sin is devastating to our lives and spiritually it separates us from God the Holy Spirit. This separation is so wide and takes us so far from God that He cannot hear us:

    “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” (Psalm 66:18)

Iniquity…sin…is the wall that separates us from God. I’m sure all of us have experienced or are experiencing that separation and the last thing on your mind is witnessing to the lost. But I have actually seen people try to witness for the Lord, I have actually, while separated from the Lord. There is no witness more ineffective for God than one separated from the Lord by sin. Why would God honor such an action? Why would God be partnered with sin?

    “Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You?” (Psalm 94:20)

I do not want to give the idea that it is impossible for God to work through the life of a sinner; He does it everyday. Jesus had the most ragtag group of disciples that 1st Century Judea had ever seen. But these men had forsook all that they considered important and surrendered to Jesus. God does not call us all to leave our jobs and our lives to follow Jesus say into the ministry or into the darkest places in the world as missionaries, but He does call us to ministry and mission right where we are. But we cannot have unrepentant sin in our lives. The Prophet Isaiah knew this:

    “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)

Unrepentant sin in my life is so destructive that it separates me from God; it causes God to hide His face from me, to the point He will not listen.

How am I to witness for the Lord when He’s not even listening to me? I need to repent of my sins and renew my commitment to living a holy and righteous life for Jesus.

Then unity and restoration will come. This allows us to recover our sweet fellowship with the Lord.

More on recovery tomorrow.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2010 David Jeffers

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