Sin...

My prayer:
Mighty and incredible God. My heart is a little sick tonight. I should not listen to the evening news. I hate to see what we do to each other. Every day it seems like we find new ways to kill, steal from, and destroy each other. Isn't that satan's job? Why do we so often help him out?


I am sorry God, I know focusing on the negative doesn't do me much good. Sometimes it smacks me in the face though. What gets into us? We are your children, created by you, and you are all good. How is it possible that one sin opened the door to all of the sin around us today? I would like to understand the significance of that original sin better. I have heard a lot of different teachings from a lot of different people, but none of them have satisfied me. 


It seems like there has to be a significance I am missing in that one act that could change the course of humanity. God, can you teach me more about that? Can you help me understand? Somehow, I think that if I could make sense of that, I might be able to not get so upset when I hear news like tonight. But, even as I think that, I realize that understanding the "why" won't really make it better. 


Sin stinks! It screws up so many things!!


I love you God. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Thank you for providing a way for me to know you and live with you forever, despite my sins.


What God Said Tonight:
What more do you want to know about sin my daughter? You already know that it is insidious and it will always take you farther than you planned to go. You already know that it grows like a cancer, like a virus, until it invades everything it touches. You already know that it is the source of so much pain and evil in this world. 


Sin is not a weapon of satan but it is one of his favorite outcomes. He loves it when he can trick you into sin because he knows that all sin comes with a price. He keeps hoping that one day the price will be too big and you won't be able to pay. 


Know that as long as I am your Daddy, as long as you are covered by the blood that I shed, you can't sin beyond my ability to forgive you. Now, that does not mean you should go and live your life any old way you want to because you have a "get out of Jail free card." Sin will still have consequences in your life and they are never pleasant. And as I said, it will always go farther than you intended. But, when you realize your sin, turn from it and turn to me, I will always be there. 


That is the part that satan does not understand. He doesn't understand that I will never leave you, no matter what. Be smarter than he is. Know that I am always with you. Know that when you fall into sin, all you have to do is turn around and I promise I will be right there to catch you, every time. 


I love you daughter and you will never stray beyond my grace and mercy. Go rest now. Rest knowing that while there is a lot of sin in the world right now, there is also joy, peace, and kindness. Try to find some of those things in your day to tomorrow to even it all out. I love you so much, now and forever.