Jesus lived in this world for more than 30 years and He knows how it feels to be tempted because He also was tempted but He conquered. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin”. Jesus is our advocate to God the Father and He works through the Holy Spirit who helps us in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26 – “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses”).
Our weaknesses in practice
These verses and many others that declare people to be weak and to be in need of God’s grace and power to live on confirm that we cannot please God with our own effort. We have weaknesses such as forgetfulness, lying, gossip, cheating, etc. God is clear about this humanly position in us. Just before I sat down to write this article, I realized that I forgot to call my brother in law whom I promised to call yesterday before day end. I’m sure you can testify to the fact that often times we realize after events that what we said to others had some elements of gossip or lies in it. Often times we do nothing about it because it generally could be of no importance at the time we remember.
It is true, none of us is perfect and we have all fallen short of the grace of God (Romans 3:23). It is also true that there is no time in life when we can proudly say we have no sin in our lives (1 John 1:8). We totally are a hopeless species when it comes to perfection according to God’s standards.
How then do we survive the call to holiness?
The same Bible calls us to pureness of heart, righteousness and holiness. How is this possible? Yes it is possible if we keep God in our minds at all times. Jesus Christ has given each of us a top priority command to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind (Luke 10:27). Loving God the way Jesus explains will ensure your right position with Him in that you will know what to do to avoid sinning against Him and also what to do to reconcile with Him in case you fall into sin.
To meet the expected standard, it calls for you to avoid things that divert your mind from loving God and concentrate on those that glorify Him and edify you. For example, avoid circular music of all kinds, do not attend events that give rise to the temptations of the flesh, do not join social media groups that promote gossip and do not watch circular movies. This is within your power to accomplish and God stands close to help you win the battle.
Will God then understand?
The answer is ‘NO’. God will not understand but is today showing mercy by opening His grace to all the living to reconcile with Him. If you disobey Him and not ask of Him to help you overcome sin while you live, there is no excuse that will make Him change His mind when you face Him in judgment.
God has written His laws in our hearts for easy reference (Romans 2:15). The hardest thing to do is to obey as the law gets recited the heart and the mind. Disobedience is exactly what God will not understand.
Just as you read this article, there could be something that you remember which you have to correct with others or directly with God. You could understand it to be just your own thinking yet it is God Himself reciting His law in your heart and calling you to action. It may be not very loud or give you a compulsive feeling. Please take actions now and pray about it if you are not sure.
I do want to remind you that God’s understanding is only given to the living. I recommend the following articles that further elaborate on the subject of God’s coming judgment.
- The environment of God’s judgment
- The expected mindset of a victorious Christian
- Defining a disobedient Christian
The entire blog is open for you to feast on and I appreciate comments that help me realize my mistakes correct those errors to help us all make to heaven at last.
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