Tuesday 28 February 2012
THE SIN HANGOVER ****BY MSYENCKOPOWA
Lately I’ve been extremely crtical of my shortcomings. I often dissect every comment I make, and replay every deep conversation I have. All to ask “was that Christ-like? Did I sin?”… As believers we have a standard to meet, and that standard is perfection. To be like Christ is to be perfect and holy. Yet, I seldom forget that despite my attempts to attain perfection, my flesh is constantly at war with my spirit, often times ending in a shortcoming.
Yes, I said it, sometimes I make mistakes and find myself grappling with sins that I should easily be able to rise above. So after the sin is committed, I sit reassesing, repenting, and heavy with guilt. Sometimes I stay in my head for so long, that I consider myself unworthy and a waste of time. The reality is, as sinners we are covered by grace and we cannot dwell on our sins, and allow the enemy to let us wallow in shame and guilt. Instead, we should ask for repentence, seek God’s aide, and never do it again.
With guilt and shame, we never give ourselves the opportunity to forgive our own shortcomings. They reality is, if you cannot forgive yourself, how do you expect others to forgive you?
So as I dwelled in my “sin hangover” feeling sick to my stomach at myself, I remembered Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
And that’s it… The bible didn’t just say some have sinned and fallen short, but ALL. Including you, me, and your neighbor too.
So please, shake out of your sin hangover and flow into a full recovery of grace.
Over&Out!
-Msyenckopowa
HANDLING TOUGH CONVERSATIONS BY:MSYENCKOPOWA
Lately I’ve been in some pretty tough conversations about
Christianity. As I grow in Christ, my understanding on how to relate
with non-believers has certainly been redefined and better packaged. I
don’t have the perfect formula on “how to witness to an non-beliver”,
but I do have 2 helpful aides —- the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
In discussing approaching those difficult conversations I will discuss a few points over a series of posts, with the first one being, Compassion.
Compassion— If there is anything we learned from Jesus, it is His compassion for people when witnessing. Looking at the story of the sinner in the bible who washed His feet with her hair and a fragant perfume, we find that despite the disciples’ disapproval, Christ still embraced her and legitmized her bold step (See John 12:1-8, Luke 7:36-48 and Mark 14:3-9 for the story).
When discussing tough issues on Christianity or witnessing to non-believers there must be an inclination of compassion in our speech and approach. Wether we like it or not we live in a world with multiple doctrines and a declining morale.
Often we as beleievrs miss out on properly witnessing to people or discussing our views because we impose religion on people, rather than sharing with them the joys of the relationship we have with Christ.
I would say to any believer, whether young or old that you should seek God to help you understand how to discuss Christianity and properly witness. Before you can serve someone a well prepared meal, time, effort, the right ingredients, and instructions are all a part of putting the meal together. If we know we want to expand the body of Christ and sow seeds of understanding in the hearts of many, we must properly package ourselves with compassion and a Christ-like mind set.
I pray that God will help us all as we take steps towards righteousness in Jesus name!
Over & Out,
Msyenckopowa
In discussing approaching those difficult conversations I will discuss a few points over a series of posts, with the first one being, Compassion.
Compassion— If there is anything we learned from Jesus, it is His compassion for people when witnessing. Looking at the story of the sinner in the bible who washed His feet with her hair and a fragant perfume, we find that despite the disciples’ disapproval, Christ still embraced her and legitmized her bold step (See John 12:1-8, Luke 7:36-48 and Mark 14:3-9 for the story).
When discussing tough issues on Christianity or witnessing to non-believers there must be an inclination of compassion in our speech and approach. Wether we like it or not we live in a world with multiple doctrines and a declining morale.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”- 2 Corinthians 10:3-5Knowing that we as Christians are mandated to combat idealogies that go against the word of God, we must make sure we have a deeper understanding of an individuals perspective and never attack or alienate anyone despite their lack of understanding of God’s word.
Often we as beleievrs miss out on properly witnessing to people or discussing our views because we impose religion on people, rather than sharing with them the joys of the relationship we have with Christ.
I would say to any believer, whether young or old that you should seek God to help you understand how to discuss Christianity and properly witness. Before you can serve someone a well prepared meal, time, effort, the right ingredients, and instructions are all a part of putting the meal together. If we know we want to expand the body of Christ and sow seeds of understanding in the hearts of many, we must properly package ourselves with compassion and a Christ-like mind set.
I pray that God will help us all as we take steps towards righteousness in Jesus name!
Over & Out,
Msyenckopowa
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