Hi there,
So there is a constant repentance in Heaven, over the need to praise God more - of accepting that we have not praised Him enough. The problem on Earth is, we get discouraged easily and start to dismiss our faith lightly (I know I have). This should not be the case. The power of God, however, is that we are able to free ourselves of sin. We do this in the Holy Spirit. "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) This happens at length in the Holy Spirit, who is the "restorer of the breach" Isaiah 58:12.
The point I want to make, is that there is a specific act, that can cause 'sin' to recede. Just as Moses held up the staff and encouraged the Israelites to win (Exodus 17:11), if we hold up the connection between more iniquity and less iniquity, that is to fight to reduce our iniquity, the Holy Spirit is more empowered to forgive us, especially of the sins that encourage our iniquity (to be greater). This is just like asking God to speak a word about our madness, the condition we find ourselves in, when we wrestle with God; moreover it is asking the Holy Spirit to impart His Holy Charge, to our bodies, that our bodies resist the evil more easily.
The result should be that we stand as a people, who have resisted the temptation to let iniquity to go wild and have found praise for God in our works, in resistance to laziness. The Devil can't take over, if our mind is stayed on righteousness (that is, especially the righteousness of God). It may take baby steps, but eventually the path (the narrow path, the way) in our soul will be quickened and we will overcome our sin altogether, as the Lord promised ("and you shall be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect" Gospels, from memory). All you need is the ('spiritual') muscle!
This is about confessing, but it's also about moving house (spiritually) and avoiding the outcome of staying in evil (especially by cutting off hindrance - see the gospels). If you get in to Heaven, with very little, at least you have every reason to stay longer! If you get anything from this, get that you don't have to glorify darkness, how ever it manifests - evil, sin, iniquity, transgression and so on. The Holy Spirit concerns Himself with iniquity, because the best way to help someone in their walk with God, is to keep them from being dragged back in to the old life.
EDIT: I realised that I wasn't making clear the similarity between the believer and the backslider: you will notice that it is very easy for the believer to trust this - that the Lord will be encouraged by repentance; the powerful thing is that this is only more true for the backslider. The backslider that deals with his iniquity, brings order and control to his sin. If the backslider can do this, there is almost no falling away. The fact that there is a little falling away makes it hard, but commitment to the Cross, more than makes up for this shortfall. No wonder the Lord placed such emphasis on "taking up our cross and following Him" (Gospels)! We should be encouraging one another with this promise, especially the backslider - God is not done with any of us, no matter where in our walk with Him we are!
I hope this has been of some encouragement.
God bless.
So there is a constant repentance in Heaven, over the need to praise God more - of accepting that we have not praised Him enough. The problem on Earth is, we get discouraged easily and start to dismiss our faith lightly (I know I have). This should not be the case. The power of God, however, is that we are able to free ourselves of sin. We do this in the Holy Spirit. "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) This happens at length in the Holy Spirit, who is the "restorer of the breach" Isaiah 58:12.
The point I want to make, is that there is a specific act, that can cause 'sin' to recede. Just as Moses held up the staff and encouraged the Israelites to win (Exodus 17:11), if we hold up the connection between more iniquity and less iniquity, that is to fight to reduce our iniquity, the Holy Spirit is more empowered to forgive us, especially of the sins that encourage our iniquity (to be greater). This is just like asking God to speak a word about our madness, the condition we find ourselves in, when we wrestle with God; moreover it is asking the Holy Spirit to impart His Holy Charge, to our bodies, that our bodies resist the evil more easily.
The result should be that we stand as a people, who have resisted the temptation to let iniquity to go wild and have found praise for God in our works, in resistance to laziness. The Devil can't take over, if our mind is stayed on righteousness (that is, especially the righteousness of God). It may take baby steps, but eventually the path (the narrow path, the way) in our soul will be quickened and we will overcome our sin altogether, as the Lord promised ("and you shall be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect" Gospels, from memory). All you need is the ('spiritual') muscle!
This is about confessing, but it's also about moving house (spiritually) and avoiding the outcome of staying in evil (especially by cutting off hindrance - see the gospels). If you get in to Heaven, with very little, at least you have every reason to stay longer! If you get anything from this, get that you don't have to glorify darkness, how ever it manifests - evil, sin, iniquity, transgression and so on. The Holy Spirit concerns Himself with iniquity, because the best way to help someone in their walk with God, is to keep them from being dragged back in to the old life.
EDIT: I realised that I wasn't making clear the similarity between the believer and the backslider: you will notice that it is very easy for the believer to trust this - that the Lord will be encouraged by repentance; the powerful thing is that this is only more true for the backslider. The backslider that deals with his iniquity, brings order and control to his sin. If the backslider can do this, there is almost no falling away. The fact that there is a little falling away makes it hard, but commitment to the Cross, more than makes up for this shortfall. No wonder the Lord placed such emphasis on "taking up our cross and following Him" (Gospels)! We should be encouraging one another with this promise, especially the backslider - God is not done with any of us, no matter where in our walk with Him we are!
I hope this has been of some encouragement.
God bless.
