The Concentration of Personal Sin
“Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips …” (Isaiah 6:5)
Once again, good old Oswald Chambers nailed me to the wall today in talking about my sin:
When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life.
A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God.
There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focus on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting me of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed my mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.
This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration on personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of the saints to worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him.
 |
| Click here to order |
The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.’” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated!
Wow. I really got hammered on this today. BUT I know this is just another reminder of God’s love for me and you. Is there an area of personal sin in YOUR life that needs to be addressed today? – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Compass Pointers: Let this one great, gracious, glorious fact lies in your spirit until it permeates all your thoughts and makes you rejoice even though you are without strength. Rejoice that the Lord Jesus has become your strength and your song - He has become your salvation. Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Anchored to the Rock: I am convinced that nothing can avail, except churches and ministries on their knees in total dependence on God. As long as you go on organizing, people will not fall on their knees and implore God to come and heal them. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
No comments:
Post a Comment