Little deposits over time make a big, big difference. This is true in every area of life – including our spiritual lives.
I want to invite you to join me in spending 4 minutes a day for the next 40 days in prayer starting Monday, April 20. The future looks bright when we connect with Jesus daily.
Are you in? Click here join me.
CHUCK
@bobbymcgraw // bobby@sugarhillchurch.com
The good news about mistakes is that God is patient! David knew he could still turn to God. When he did, David asked for 3 things:
Take a few minutes to read Psalm 51:13-19.
David was God’s servant and wanted to regain his ministry and lead his people.
He still had a lot he wanted to accomplish. David wanted to witness to the lost and wandering and bring them back to the Lord (v. 13). David wanted to sing God’s praises (vv.14-15).
God still wants to use you! Some of David’s best days were after he messed up and confessed. Instead of allowing your sin to push you away from God, draw near to him today. Allow him to clean you up. Allow him to restore you. Ask him to use you in a mighty way.
Get your past behind you and allow him to do something great in and through you!
Have a great weekend!
BOBBY
@bobbymcgraw // bobby@sugarhillchurch.com
Have you ever heard the phrase “Confession is good for the soul”?
David bottled up his sin for around 9 months until Nathan confronted him. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of confession. It came after he was confronted. In his confession, David makes 3 major requests. Today we will look at the first two:
David felt dirty. He felt defiled because of what he had done. He had crossed over the line God had drawn; he had missed the mark and gave into sin. He willingly rebelled against God. It was deliberate rebellion.
Read through Psalm 51 and pay attention to the words that describe how David felt.
David sinned against a lot of people: Bathsheba, Uriah, and more! Ultimately, David sinned against God.
We too need cleansing. We are able to be made clean because of the work of Jesus on the cross. Check out 1 John 1:5-10.
Sin affected every part of his life: his eyes (v. 3), mind (v. 6), ears and bones (v. 8), heart and spirit (v. 10), hands (v. 14) and lips (vv. 13-15).
David knew that there was a high price for his low living! He asked for more than cleansing; he wanted his entire life to be restored so he could serve God well. He wanted the joy of God to be within him.
David asked for something big – a new heart.
If you could ask God to do anything today, what would you ask him to do? Let’s follow David’s example and ask God to cleanse us and recreate us.
See you tomorrow!
BOBBY
@bobbymcgraw // bobby@sugarhillchurch.com
Temptations come our way every single day. Many temptations come from outside us, but some also come from inside of us.
Have you ever wondered why we so easily give into temptation?
David’s life demonstrates two big reasons we give into temptation:
Sin leads us down a slippery slope. It’s not really a one time, no big deal kind of thing. Every sin we commit places us on a path and that path leads towards a dangerous destination: death.
Sin seems fun in the moment. But it is just a moment. A season. It leads us some place that is not good at all.
For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23
The enemy would love for us to think that God is holding out on us, that He does not really love or care for us. This, of course, is not true. God had been very good to David.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
If David had thought about the consequences of his sin and remembered the goodness of God, I don’t think he would have slept with Bathsheba or killed her husband.
No matter what excuses we make, we have no one to blame for sin but ourselves. You can resist temptation. Remember the high price of sin and remember the goodness of God. Those two reminders can help us overcome temptation!
See you tomorrow!
BOBBY
@bobbymcgraw // bobby@sugarhillchurch.com
I’ve heard it said…
David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he committed adultery and then murdered a man in an effort to cover up his sin.
This went on for about 9 months. He refused to face his past. He refused to deal with his sin.
And it festered…
I know I’ve had stuff fester before. It’s sorta like a splinter in your soul. Like a physical splinter that gets under your skin, you know it’s there and that it needs to come out.
But we let it fester.
David suffered the consequences of his sin for the rest of his life.
If David can fall into sin, anyone can. We are no match for sin. We are no match for temptation.
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” – 1 Corinthians 10:12
Take a moment to read 2 Samuel 12:1-14.
The prophet Nathan performed spiritual surgery by confronting David. David had been covering the festering sin for too long. In fact, David had become blind to his own sin.
I have met people who are physically blind. But I believe the worst kind of blindness isn’t physical blindness; it’s spiritual blindness. It’s like they don’t know themselves.
David was so eager to pronounce judgment on the rich man in the story that he failed to realize he was pronouncing judgment on himself.
David’s sin was a sin of passion – a moment that went further than he imagined.
Here’s what I’ve found.
Sin often takes place when we have an undetected weakness and an unexpected opportunity.
Take a few minutes today to pray and ask God, “Do I have any undetected weaknesses? Do I have any unconfessed sins? Is there something hiding I need to come clean on?”
Spend several moments in silence and allow the Spirit of God to search your heart.
The good news is that He still loves you! Take some time to confess whatever is brought to the surface and renew a right relationship with Him.
Have a great day and I’ll see you back here tomorrow!
BOBBY
@bobbymcgraw // bobby@sugarhillchurch.com
“Now what?” is a really great question to wrestle with this week.
Yesterday we said that before we can focus on the now, we have to deal with the past.
When we don’t deal with our past, it becomes our present and taints our future.
King David had to learn this lesson. He had some skeletons in his closet that needed to be dealt with. Take a few minutes to read 2 Samuel 11.
David’s story teaches us 3 things that sin does:
David’s sin started with just a casual glance but quickly escalated. He slept with Bathsheba and she became pregnant. He didn’t plan for that!
Once he found out she was pregnant, he tried to find a way to cover it up. Ultimately he ended up having her husband killed!
There were real consequences for David’s sin. Ultimately he and his household were judged.
I’ve had a few people ask me why God hates sin so much. I think there are a lot of reasons, but one thing is for sure, it always brings pain and destruction.
Is there an area of your life that seems to have followed this pattern of sin? If so, take a few moments to examine it and confess it before the Lord today.
Once have dealt with your past, you are now positioned for the Lord to use you in the present and the future!
See you back here tomorrow. I’m praying for you!
BOBBY