“What if I don’t get the same conviction of sin when I’m supposed to do something but don’t?” RC Sproul defines these sins like this: “When we do what God forbids, we are guilty of a sin of commission; when we fail to do what God commands, we are guilty of a sin of omission. In both cases the law of God is violated.”

So when you sin by omission and get concerned about how you would even know if you sinned, that’s where sanctification comes in.

Here’s an example. I used to treat my parents with harsh disdain. I would correct my mom all the time and get into silly arguments with my dad. I felt I was right. Until a pastor taught me in a sermon that the verses on honoring your parents was written to ADULTS.  

As an adult I am to honor my parents. So I just started. I spoke more kindly to my mom and dad. I asked them their opinion. I honored them and respected them because God asked and commanded me to not because they deserved it or I wanted to. Now my relationship with both is so pleasant. God has blessed me because of my obedience.

If God piled on us all our sins of omission I believe it would be far more than we could bear. It would stop us from moving forward at all. He gives us what we can handle. Slowly over time we grow. This is the blessing of sanctification. Can you share an example of a sin of omission that God revealed to you recently or during your life?

The “You Do You” movement is really just steeped in lies about selfishness. In 1 John, he talks about a sin that leads to death. What could that sin possibly be? We get a glimpse of what he is talking about in the final verse of the entire book of 1 John in the last chapter and last verse.

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

As you read the full text (see below), this verse seems a bit out of place. In reality, that last verse is the sum of all the parts of the book of 1 John.

Take a look at what A. W. Tozer says in Knowledge of the Holy.

“That God exists for Himself and man for the glory of God is the emphatic teaching of the Bible. The high honor of God is first in heaven as it must yet be in earth. From all this we may begin to understand why the Holy Scriptures have so much to say about the vital place of faith and why they brand unbelief as a deadly sin. Among all created beings, not one dare trust in itself. God alone trusts in Himself; all other beings must trust in Him. Unbelief is actually perverted faith, for it puts its trust not in the living God but in dying men. The unbeliever denies the self-sufficiency of God and usurps attributes that are not his. This dual sin dishonors God and ultimately destroys the soul of the man.”

You might be removed to say, “This isn’t talking about me because I’m a believer. I believe in Jesus!” So why did the father in Mark 9 say “I believe; help my unbelief!”?

Unbelief is rooted in idolatry. Not just any idolatry of external things and trappings, but idolatry of the worst kind: the leaning on and counting on yourself.

The usurping of God’s place and giving it unrightfully to yourself is paramount to grand theft and punishable to the full extent of the Law. Yikes!!

How do I usurp God exactly? Well, it’s simple really, and Satan made sure it would be simple. I lean on my own understanding. I try to control everything. I try to please people rather than God. As my friend Susan says “I play Holy Ghost Junior”.

Can I do it all, have it all, be it all? We women are great at that. Fitting it all in, becoming so busy and great at all we do, because after all, God calls us to be excellent in whatever we do. In the end am I just relying on my own strength? So I must remember John’s reprimand: Little children, keep yourselves from yourselves!

1 John 5:16-21
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. ~ 1 John 5:16-21 (ESV)

Addictions can leave you trapped in a rootball of anger. What comes to mind when you think of the word “addiction”? The obvious are smoking, drugs, and alcohol, but what about food, or relationships, or even our identity? Addictions can be to anything, but the real question is what happens to you when someone takes away your addiction?

In food we can be addicted to casseine in dairy, gluten in wheat, caffeine in drinks, processed sugar in everything, etc. The food addiction list can be long and try taking it away and you’ll see a physical reaction that will make you fiercely angry!

Addictions can also be seen in our relationships as codependency and even our identity based on someone or something else. Consider how women can be addicted to being a mom, or a wife, or a career woman, or someone who is a helper, or (fill in the blank). If that identity is threatened, look out!!

More insidious areas are in the addiction for control, entitlement, and people pleasing. They aren’t so blatant, but they pack a much greater punch when it comes to the anger trigger.

Addictions are everywhere and the real word for them is an idol. When an addiction (an idol) is threatened, we lash out in anger. The anger is often swift and can feel like it came out of nowhere. The next time you lash out in anger, ask yourself which of your idols has been stepped on and then figure out how you can break the addiction to that idol. Practice lengthening the time between the trigger and the response and ask if the response is worth the long term damage you may cause. Be blessed today!

Frustrated, impatient, annoyed, prideful, arrogant, irritated, exasperated, mad, haughty, anxious, stressed, intolerant… these are all descendants of anger. If you’ve felt any of these, and we all have, almost daily I’d suppose, then you are dealing with anger. And yes, anger is a sin.

Many women I know struggle with anger. I’ve heard them try to excuse their outbursts by staying, “I have a chemical imbalance.”

I struggled with anger for my whole life. There isn’t a home I’ve lived in that didn’t get a hole in one of the walls from one of my outbursts. But get this… I was doing it to myself, albeit unintentionally. I found out later in life that the cause of my chemical imbalance, that caused such major bouts of rage, was my simple consumption of gluten. I now stay away from it like the plague. Knowing that it causes this chemical imbalance and then intentionally eating it is now the sin because I am culpable in the knowledge of what it does to me.

Food is a real issue that many women are unwilling to address. Their emotional distress of depression, anger, and even emotional martyrdom, are all areas that the devil has a hook in. Find out what you are eating that may be satan’s hook. Here are a few common ones:

Coffee (caffeine)
Processed Sugar
Gluten (wheat)
Dairy (milk products)
Grains of any kind (some people cannot eat any grains at all)

If you don’t have actual mental illness or head trauma (from injury or ptsd), and want to get a handle on the area of anger in your life, then dig in and do the hard work. Find out what you are poisoning your system with.

I can tell you it is the best thing you will do this season! Don’t allow Satan to hook you any longer. There is freedom in Christ and sadly many of us still believe the lies Satan has whispered to us that there is no hope. Believe there is hope and that your sin of anger is healable, but God may be waiting for you to realize your part in your over indulgence. Blessings sisters!

Note on mental illness: I know many of you have family or yourself who struggle with mental illness. I’m not a doctor, but there are countless stories and studies on how good effects mental illness even in elderly patience. My personal friends who struggle with mental illness and depression all day that when they eat really clean they are symptom free. I only want to encourage you to find the source of the hook and eliminated it. “If your eye causes you to sin, cut it out.” So in the same way, if a food item is causing you to sin, cut it out!

I love watching period shows with kings, queens, and warriors. I am significant because I am the daughter of the King. I have been acting like the bratty, entitled, know-it-all princess when my calling is humility, kindness, and love toward the King’s subjects.

What idol have you been shown and are working on? What challenges has it presented? 

My pastor once said, “every need is not a calling”. This is so true and as women we can feel like we are the only ones able to get this or that done.

I stretched myself way too thin yesterday, because out of 5 kid’s parents, I was the only one able to drive them to and from the beach. It’s 30 minutes away so that’s 2 hours of driving to drop them off and then come back later to pick them up.

Even though I said yes, I knew I really didn’t have the time. So my rushing around to fill this need for my son caused me to blow up at him later because he wasn’t where he said they would be when I picked them up.

A simple miscommunication mistake on his part became a huge outburst on my part. I was harboring resentment of wasting my time and why no other parent could help out.

I should have been thinking what a blessing it is that we have a 7 passenger car and how I was blessing the kids to be able to go to the beach together since everyone is doing virtual school. My own selfish sinfulness got in the way.

I drowned myself in self-pity, self-sufficiency, and self-righteousness, rather than relying on God to work things out. My perspective was off and so was my heart.

Yet today as I understand my sin better, I am able to ask for forgiveness of both God and my son. I need to get better at recognizing my own limits, but also how my actions, even when unnoticed can bless others or curse them.

I am forgiven when I deserve death. I am a child of God, loved and cherished, when I deserve hell. This profound truth humbles me and lifts me up at the same time. Thank you Jesus, for teaching me, reproving me, correcting me, and training me in Your righteousness so that I may be competent and able in Your eyes!

I love watching period shows with kings, queens, and warriors. I am significant because I am the daughter of the King. I have been acting like the bratty, entitled, know-it-all princess when my calling is humility, kindness, and love toward the King’s subjects.

What idol have you been shown and are working on? What challenges has it presented?

I have been painfully working through some idols in my life over the past month – things I never knew were there. I have seen an idol of control be ripped from me and now I am doing painful heart work in that area. I’ve recently been shown an idol of significance. It’s my desire to be seen as significant and feel significant. It’s a form of people pleasing that has insidiously dug its claws into the fabric of my heart. My issue is how to remove it without completely going MIA online and neglecting my service projects? Changing my mind and removing this idol will take greater work and will be a longer process I’m sure.

I love watching period shows with kings, queens, and warriors. I am significant because I am the daughter of the King. I have been acting like the bratty, entitled, know-it-all princess when my calling is humility, kindness, and love toward the King’s subjects.

What idol have you been shown and are working on? What challenges has it presented?