Journal Entry ~ 01/05/20

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:1-2

It is tempting to ignore  the promptings of the Holy Spirit because we think we have a more accurate view of ourselves than we really do. Sin is deceitful, it blinds us, and our hearts easily become hardened against the truth. So when someone confronts us with a reality about who we are or how we made them feel, the sin in our heart immediately starts spin control. We deny, blame shift, argue, or refuse to listen.

Few of us really believe we need other people in our lives to tell us where our sin issues are. But we are reminded in this passage that one of the reasons we are to live in community with one another is to exhort one another. It is so much easier to see the sin in another, so we are instructed to confront one another. We simply don't see our sin as others see it, so we continue in the sin it until our hearts our hardened. God knows our tendency to deny our sin so well that He calls us to live in community to help us to see what we cannot see on our own.

I think the hardest part is accepting when someone we consider less mature, or even the unbelievers in our lives, expose a sin issue. We think they don't have a right to confront us...but they do. Often our sin is most ugly to them. Next time someone is upset with you, pause and ask yourself what the Spirit is trying to tell you about a sin issue in your life rather than defending yourself. Praying for a softened heart, so that when people do confront me with my sin, He helps me to see the truth.

Press on ~ you are loved 💗