Key verse: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. Romans 4:7-8
- The moment we receive salvation through Christ, what does God do for us regarding the guilt and reigning power of sin? (See Romans 6:1-2; Colossians 1:13-14.)
- What does God use to convict us of our sins--including our selfishness and judgmental attitudes? (See 2 Timothy 3:16.)
- What assurance do we have that, when we acknowledge our sinfuless and ask for God's forgiveness, He will forgive us and no longer hold our sin against us? (See Romans 4:7-8; Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:9.)
- In Matthew 5:6, what did Jesus promise all who pursue righteousness, who earnestly desire to see their sin put to death and be replaced with the fruit of the Spirit? (See Matthew 5:4, 6; Galatians 5:22-23.)
- Read Galatians 5:16. What hope is promised as we seek to "put to death" sins that keep coming back? What does it mean to "walk by the Spirit"?
- As we ask God to enable us to deal with our sin, what must we "store up" in our hearts? (See Psalm 119:11.)
- How can we be sure that God the Father and the Son, working through the Holy Spirit who lives within every believer (see 1 Corinthians 6:19), will help us deal with sin and direct our spiritual transformation? (See Romans 8:31; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13.)
- What is the Holy Spirit doing within each believer? (See 2 Corinthians 3:18.)
1 comment:
o:k, a quote from Beth Moore's Daniel study that seems to go right along with respectable sin stuff...
"Hopefully the shoe of tactlessness doesn't fit you. And if it doesn't fit, don't wear it. At the same time, let's be aware that a number of Christians may have earned all of us a bad reputation. The shoe sits shiny and ready on the shelf whenever we feel impatient or bothered. If we're going to fight the temptation to put it on, we'll need to recognize that we're never more tempted to be rude than when we think someone deserves it.
Uh, YES! I read this the same day I had to call on my health care flex spending account. I think it was some divine test! When the customer service rep said, and I truly quote here "oh, I see that you sent in everything you needed to...I'm not sure how they missed that...well, just go ahead and resend it all in. You just really need to spell it out for them in claims." That, in my mind, deserved impatience and rudeness! And I'll never see that person or have the opportunity to share Christ, right? I mean really, what difference does a 10 minute phone call make to them when they don't even know I'm a Christian!
So I know how wrong that all is but in situations where it really does seem like it can't possibly make a difference, those are the ones that are hardest for me to modify my behavior. (and I have a long ugly history with every flex benefit company out there. Nothing gets my blood boiling quicker!)
So I see God up there once again creating this divine test, oddly enough, through flex spending. Enough already! Could we just move onto something else? And I tell you fellow Noggies, that was only one of the 4-5 utterly ridiculous things that happened in that conversation.
I know, I know, this is a time when it's about me and my heart. I think He just put the phone in between me and the other person so I can actually see clearly it's about me (and perhaps so I didn't give them a "look" along with a "tone."
Onto reading. Didn't meand to digress. Just needed to let you all know that once again, all of these studies are tying togeter like a nice pretty package!
Off to bed. Jay left tonight for the whole week. Prayers are appreciated if you think of it!
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