OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTION - FRIDAY 24TH APRIL, 2015

Friday April 24, 2015

SIN: CONSEQUENCES & CURE

Memorise: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23

Read: Ezekiel 18:20-24

20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 

21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 

22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 

23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 

24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Message

Sin is disobedience to God or a deviation from His ways. From the account in Genesis 3, we understand that sin cannot be hidden. Every secret sin will always be discovered; it's only a matter of time (Numbers 32:23). When sin comes in, there is a loss of relationship with God. When we house sin in our lives, no matter the amount of time we spend in the place of prayer, the heavens will remain shut. Sin is not a lifter; rather it leads to demotion. It brings shame and reproach to someone with a glorious future as seen in the case of Samson. Proverbs 14:34 says,

"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

Although Samson was born great, by indulging in sin, his destiny was truncated (Judges 16:20-21). God has been warning a lot of people about the consequences of their actions, but they have refused to depart from the path of iniquity. Some people remain in disobedience until they experience a negative turning point in their lives. King Saul was a king who happened to be handsome, rich, healthy, powerful and prominent. His word was law, but he disobeyed God and kept going contrary to God's divine will until tragedy struck.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

The only way a lost relationship with God can be restored is by obtaining pardon for sin through genuine repentance. The good news is that the death of Jesus on the cross has made adequate provision for the remission of our sins. Nevertheless, we must be true to ourselves and see our state of hopelessness against sin. We must be convinced of the need for pardon and be willing to confess our sins, no matter how numerous and terrible they are. God is ever willing to grant pardon to a genuinely repentant soul. Genuine repentance involves a change of mind that leads to a change of conduct.

This change of conduct will lead to a life of holiness, through which the repentant soul becomes a vessel unto honour for the Master's effective use. Such a person will then begin to work towards the attainment of perfection in Christ Jesus. Having done all these, there is a guarantee of an inheritance in Christ and an assurance of everlasting life.

Prayer point: Father, I thank you for the Blood of Jesus that was shed for the remission of my sins. I accept this provision of Yours, and ask that it wash away all of my sins.

AUTHOR: Pastor E.A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.