Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Would You Judge?

As a believer, sometimes Satan puts things in our path to see if we will stumble. Sometimes it would be so easy to take up those things in our path and run with them. Have you ever seen others stumble on that path and try to help just to find yourself tempted as well. What if the person that stumbled was someone in a leadership position that you hold in high regard. Does it make you question your faith? Does it make you feel that that person is less worthy of God's love and need to be cast aside by Him or by us? Do we let Satan creep in on us and allow ourselves to be tools for him and become judgemental? Sometimes the further we wander outside God's will, the more we judge others and the less we show mercy.

Lots of questions that I may not have the correct answers to. I know how I feel in my heart. We all know that we sin. I have always been told, "A sin is a sin is a sin." Is this how everyone feels? I don't know but what I do know is that God will forgive the sinner, but He will still judge the sin. God tells us to forgive, he never suggests that we forgive only when someone asks for forgiveness. He simply says forgive. Sometimes for the sinner, even when we know that God has forgiven us, it is hard for us to forgive ourselves. We must remember that God will always lead us to victory, but He will lead us His way.

I believe the biggest target for Satan is a believer in Christ. An even bigger target are those whom are Christian leaders. For if Satan is able to invade Christian leadership, he may be able to place some doubt in the minds of the congregation and help in his works. So as part of our duty as Christians, I believe that we must not only pray for ourselves and our family and friends, but also for those who lead us. They are very big targets for Satan, as stated in Alan Redpath's book, The Making of a Man of God:
Oh, from what heights of blessing it is possible for a man to fall! To what depths of sin a man can descend, even with all that spiritual background! The higher the pinnacle of blessing, authority, and publicity he has attained by grace, the deeper and more staggering can be his collapse. There is never a day in any man's life but that he is dependent upon the grace of God for power and the blood of Jesus for cleansing."

Please pray for yourself, then pray for someone you know who is being mightily used by God.

"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently...." Galatians 6:1