NOT HIDE AND SEEK
Bible Nugget 0310 [Isaiah 55 v 6 & 7 New American Standard]
6Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon Him while He is near.7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him; And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
Children love hide and seek game in which they tag their playmate, one of them runs and hide while the other child seek the hiding. When the person who is seeking finds out the hiding, there is a lot of excitement and they hug each other and the play resumes again.
Unlike, the children’s game, God is not deliberately hiding from man. What drives man from the presence of God is sin. This has been the case since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Sin is in man’s nature, an adamic nature programmed into every cell by the fall of Adam and Eve. A child inherits it from the womb,and in due course after birth becomes evident. It falls the high and mighty, and the common man. King David after the sin with Uriah’s wife acknowledged the power of sin in repentance to God and said in Psalm 51:1-5
1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
The great apostle Paul, gave a great discuss on sin in Rom 7:1-25 (please read the whole chapter at your convenience). Paul, chiding about sin spoke of its captivating power during the darkest moments in his life at conversion. [Many bible scholars agree that it was during the 3 days he was blind after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus in Acts 9]. In his treatise, Paul speaking in Rom 7:18-19 revealed the adamic nature of every person still struggling with sin:
18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do
The master of sin is the devil. Jesus speaking said the mission of the devil is to steal to kill and to destroy (John 10:10). Contrary to the devil’s mission, Jesus came so you can receive salvation, healing deliverance and so he can use you to the glory of God. Sin, no matter it’s gravity can be remedied. The remedy of sin is the blood of Jesus.
God loves you but hates your sin. Our nugget in Isaiah 55 says he will have compassion and will abundantly pardon. He is full of grace. When sin is abounding, the grace of God much more abounds (Rom 5:20). Thank God the wheel of God grinds slowly. He gives every man an opportunity to repent. You cannot take the grace of God for granted and continue in your sin (Rom 6:1). There is a penalty which continued living in sin brings which you need to avoid (Rom 6:23).
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Why not accept the gift of God today? Repent of you sin and come back to the open arms of God. God is not lost, you are. Come to the loving care of God, like the prodigal son did to his rich father and you will be amazed at the peace that will fill your heart concerning your reconciliation with your maker.
Prayer Nugget 0310
Pray the following Prayer of Repentance:
- Oh Lord forgive me of all my sins. Let your mercy overshadow every act of wickedness and unrighteousness in my life in Jesus Name.
- Blood of Jesus, wash me thoroughly. Wash my innermost heart from every sin and remove the guilt of past sins from my heart in Jesus Name.
- I challenge every power of darkness with the blood of Jesus. Every act of wickedness peddled against me in the kingdom of darkness be exposed by the blood of Jesus.
- Let your loving kindness to me be renewed everyday of my life. I stand on your righteousness alone in Jesus Name. Amen.
- My name is written in the Lamb’s book of Life. I am fully reconciled to God. Power of Sin be broken from my life forever in Jesus Name.
- I release myself from the grip of addicting power of sin. Every demon seeking my downfall receive the stones of fire in Jesus Name.
- Begin to thank God for your salvation. Ask God to send the Holy Spirit to fill every vacuum in your heart with his presence and power in Jesus Name.