My husband and I were watching a show together on television the other night. It had a segment featuring children who lied about having done something wrong. Because the children were little, everyone in the audience laughed at the extremely silly excuses that they made. Some blamed others for their disobedience. Others pretended they had not been disobedient at all. But all of them pretended that they were innocent in some way. Instead, they were simply making excuses for their sin.
I’d like to say that, once we grow up, these kinds of things cease. But that just isn’t true. In fact, if anything, it gets worse. And the Bible warns us that hiding our sin will not go well for us. “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13.
How often have we heard someone say “I took that path because of what my parents did” or “didn’t do”? If the person that says this is an adult, the answer to that is, “No, you took that path because you made a poor choice.”
There are no perfect parents. We could all accuse our parents of making mistakes that affected us. And it would be true! But there comes a point in our lives when we have to make a choice. We have to ask ourselves, “Am I going to hide behind my childhood hurts and wallow in the sin? Or am I going to change my path?” God doesn’t want us debilitated by old hurts and disappointments. He wants us to have a victorious life. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37.
God also doesn’t want us using those old hurts and disappointments as excuses for sin. “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17.
But our parents aren’t the only people that we use to make excuses for sin. We will use anyone. Sometimes we will even use the people who have meant the most to us and done the most for us. It is amazing how quickly we will turn on someone if it means justifying our own behavior… especially when we know we are in sin.
When Adam ate the apple and God confronted him, he blamed God and the woman that He gave him. “The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Genesis 3:12.
Think about that. Adam blamed God even though God warned him against this sin in the first place! And we do the same thing. If we have good, loving people in our lives who will hold us accountable, we will disparage their character to anyone who will listen. And why do we do this? As a means of making excuses for sin.
The most ironic part of making excuses for our sin is that the one who matters knows the truth.
We are so busy disparaging others and making excuses for sin that we forget that God knows the truth. “My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.” Jeremiah 16:17.
So, we lie about others. We lie about our behavior. And we make excuses for sin. But God knows it all and He is the one that matters! Instead of worrying about getting right with God, we worry about what others think. “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10.
So, who are we serving? And what does that say about our relationship with Christ?
We cannot hide our sins forever. “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” Luke 12:2.
So, why are we even trying to hide it. Why are we hurting others and their character to make an excuse for sin? Because, if we will just confess to God, will forgive us. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.
And, if we are followers of Jesus Christ and have un-repented sin, God wants to forgive and renew. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” Act 3:19.
The bottom line is that there are no excuses for sin. They are lies we tell ourselves and others to be able to do what we want and not what God wants.
Now is the time for repentance if we have any unconfessed sin in our lives. Now is the time for reconciliation with God. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20.
Father God, we praise and thank You that You’re a God of mercy and Grace. We thank You that You desire to forgive and reconcile our relationships to You. Father, forgive us when we make excuse for sin. Lord Jesus, forgive us when we fail to take responsibility for the sin that You died on the cross for. Thank You, Lord Jesus, that, through Your shed blood, we can be forgiven. Holy Spirit, convict us to repent of the sins that we’ve committed. Reveal them to us. And please continue to convict us when we are tempted to sin. We pray these things in Your precious and Holy name, Jesus.
Are you making excuses for the sin in your life? Are you disparaging other people’s character to build up your own? We’re all guilty of it. The good news is, God forgives! If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). On this page, you’ll find a prayer outline. Please pray this prayer. All that is required to be forgiven by God and cleansed of those sins is that you pray that simple prayer from the bottom of your heart. God loves you. He wants to forgive you. He wants you to experience freedom from sin and guilt.
Please pray this prayer and once you have reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know. I would love to be in prayer with and for you.
Luv Ya!
