Lesson of the Week
Ephesians: Praying For The Saints

Praying For Personal Sins

Ephesians 5: 5: For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Blood-Bought Forgiveness

Hebrews 9: 13: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

In our quest for payer, it always is good to take time to allow for personal cleansing. The blood of Christ is a refreshing to the soul trapped in patterns of sin. There is no escape from the pain inflicted on the consicience of God's chosen save repentence. Heart repentance is the hope and freedom provided for our straying from God's path for our lives. It is the corrective influence of His Holy Spirit that guieds us into His place of washing. His washing is so pure. To think that blood makes us clean is such a foreign thought. In our societies today, medical staf take great precautions against the touch of blood. There is no fear in touching the blood of Jesus. His blood brings only life. His blood brings only forgiveness. His blood brings only repair.

Completed Forgiveness

Hebrews 10: 9: Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11: And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

The truth of the matter is that God wills us to be cleansed. Sanctification is a process of being cleaned and prepared for holy use. This is His will for us, daily. Daily, we should turn from sin patterns, allow Him to cleanse us from prior effects and be postioned for the immediate tasks at hand. This is our prayer.

Sin Patterns

Hebrews:12:1: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

All of us struggle with patterns of sin in life. Sometimes the scripture refers to these patterns as iniquities. There are those momentary sins of life and then there are those repetitive patterns that just defy dying out. They are imbedded in the old man of the flesh that plagues us. I like the phrase, "the sin which does so easily beset us". It is easy to understand. There are those patterns that just easily come up from behind and involve us. The writer of Hebrews challenges us to take strength in the great cloud of witnesses. There are those who have gone before us, who have received great testimony of faithfulness by God, yet, struggled themselves with sin patterns. Moses struggled with anger. David struggled with lust and violence. Joseph struggled with pride. Elijah struggled with despondency. Yet, they have great testimonies before God. Never give up on your quest in sanctification.

Definite Avoiders
Whoremongering - Immorality - Fornication, Unclean- Impure, Covetous - Greedy - Unbridled Lust , Idolatry

This list of sins of passion is intriguing. The key element is that they will cause you to choose something other than God's way every time. Getting trapped in a life of sexual fulfillment, continual impurity of thought and action, or unbridled greed and lust for things leads into idolatry and the inability to please God. A few examples of these lifestyles today are addictive gambling and addictive pornography. The addiction is an idolatrous relationship to self fulfillment versus God fulfillment. If you are trapped in these, take drastic measures to free yourself. Do what it takes. This is the stuff of which Jesus admonishes it is better to cut off your hand if it leads you into them than to live in it and live in idolatry. The end of the road to these is separation from God.

Inheritors

Romans 8:17: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The blessings of life in Jesus stem from our position as co-inheiritors. Guard that inheiritance with prayer for personal sin. Don't let little things add up to obsessions. Nip them in the bud, every day.

Taking Inventory on Praying For Personal Sins

What sin stuff have you stumble into this last week? What sin patterns plague you? Are you trapped in a definite avoider that is keeping you from serving God?

Taking Action on Praying For Personal Sins

Pray. Repent over specific sins and sin patterns. Begin renewing your mind concerning the sin patterns with the word. Wrestle with it. If you find yourself in an idolatrous, addictive pattern, get with some super strong saints and seek backup prayer.

Prayer on Praying For Personal Sins

Father, it is You that I desire. My personal sins separate me from Your best for my life. Help me to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the words of my testimony. My life is in You, Lord. My strength is in You, Lord. My hope is in You, Lord. In You I live and move and have my being. I commit myself to change and be changed in Your presence. Fullness of joy is mine in You and in Your forgiveness through Christ.

copyright 2000-1, Rev.Philip A. Larson