9 / Friday

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” —Matthew 4:3

Pray:

“Dear God, you are my source of life and the true home of my heart: my heart is restless until it rests in You. I confess that my heart has been distracted and fooled by selfish passions and desires. I have pursued many things and have neglected You. I have not loved You with my whole heart; help me turn to You and find forgiveness. Lead me home, where I find life, joy and peace. Amen.”

Set a timer for 1 minute. Close your eyes. PRetend no one can see you.

Pretending you can’t be seen by closing your eyes is like pretending God doesn’t see your sin. It doesn’t work. When you downplay your sin before God, you start creating an identity apart from Him.

Write out romans 8:1

Justifying your sin enters your life in a very subtle way. It sneaks in when you make excuses for sin. Excuses like:

“I lied because I am afraid of what people think about me”
“I ate that because I do not have self-control around food.”
“I said hurtful things to them because they deserved it.”

Write down an excuse you make for your sin, then cross it out.

Consider this quote: “Sin is the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in your relationship and service to God. Sin is seeking to become oneself, to get an identity, apart from God.” —Tim Keller