Begin Here, Remain Here (7)

Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it. Psalm 141.5

Repentance review
We’ve been talking about the importance of repentance, which is a gift of God’s grace, accomplished in us by His Spirit, as He convicts us of sin and leads us along the path of restoration to righteousness.

Because temptations confront us daily, and we are still affected by the law of sin within us, we’ll need to master the practice of repentance as an ongoing component in our walk with the Lord. If we will do so, we can be certain that the Lord will bring growth in grace and in the image of Jesus Christ to our lives.

But, as we’ve seen, repentance begins with acknowledging our sins and wanting to turn from them. And just here a real obstacle to a life of repentance can arise. It’s simply this: we like sin. Oh, not all sin, of course – just those we can indulge without “hurting anyone else.” A particular attitude, a bit of gossip, a lustful thought, a covetous contemplation, an angry notion – we all fall into one or more of these snares. But some of us prefer to languish there, harboring sin in our hearts in ways that can jeopardize our communion with the Lord.

We are prone to wickedness and evil, and this is because we’re not yet wholly sanctified. The Christian life is described as warfare, a struggle, a distance race, even a boxing match. There’s a struggle for our souls, and, more than we might like to admit, we’re sometimes fighting on the wrong side.

Reluctant to repent?
How can we overcome this reluctance to give up the practice of sin?

This can be particularly difficult if the sin we indulge is something known only to us – and, of course, to the Lord. God sets our secret sins before His eyes (Ps. 90.8); but because others don’t see them, we may continue to indulge that which can throttle our prayer lives (Ps. 66.18), sear our consciences (1 Tim. 4.2), trip up our feet, and send us hurtling uncontrollably into more and more sin (Ps. 73.18, 19).

How can we prevent this?

One way is by having friends in your life with whom you feel comfortable, because of their love, to share your innermost struggles. If you’re married, your spouse is the place to begin and the best place to turn whenever sin is seeking to wrest you from the path of life. Eve’s failure to seek counsel from Adam, and his failure to intervene on her behalf – their failure of one another as spouses – brought the calamity of sin into the world. Together, husbands and wives can become powerful forces for Kingdom progress by serving as soul friends and co-laborers against sin. By sharing together and nurturing one another in your walk with the Lord, you’ll not only further the work of sanctification in each of your lives, but you’ll grow closer to one another as well.

Soul friends
Another place to turn is to a soul friend, someone of the same sex with whom you are willing to share your plans, fears, challenges, and struggles, and with whom you can enjoy a relationship of mutual accountability and edification. Think of Jesus and His disciples. He loved them fervently, spent time with them, talked about the Kingdom of God and their role in it, and encouraged them to develop a big vision for the life of faith. But He also confronted them in their sins – as Peter had to learn the hard way. Jesus warned Peter that he would betray Him. When he did, Jesus cast a withering glance at him, and Peter collapsed in tears. Then, after the resurrection, Jesus came to Peter and restored him to his place as His follower and keeper of His sheep.

This is what soul friends do for one another.

You’ll need to spend time with your soul friend, and to share from your time with the Lord – what He’s teaching you, the temptations you confront each day, how the Lord is helping you to grow, and so forth. Encourage one another through prayer and by serving as judges of one another by the Word of God. Hold one another accountable for specific areas of growth or ministry. And be ready to deal with lapses into sin whenever they become evident.

Soul friends should be free to challenge one another regarding attitudes or behaviors that don’t quite fit the profile of a Kingdom citizen. And they should accept one another’s challenges and rebukes before the Lord together in prayer.

Find a soul friend to help you in making repentance a way of life. Since repentance is where full faith begins and where it remains, the more help we can get in practicing it consistently, the more our faith in the Lord will grow in the assurance we need and the evidence He expects.
 
For reflection
1.  Meditate on Hebrews 10.24. What kinds of things encourage you to take up good works? Can you do that for others?

2.  Meditate on Galatians 6.1-10. How many different ways can you see room for a “soul friend” in this passage?

3.  Meditate on Hebrews 13.17. Do the elders or pastors or leaders of your church serve the people in this way? Explain.

Next steps: Download a copy of the PDF of this study for yourself and a friend. Work through it together to encourage one another in your walk with and work for the Lord.

T. M. Moore

Your gifts to The Fellowship of Ailbe make this ministry possible. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Subscribe to The Week, T. M.’s daily insights to worldview issues, by going to the website and, when the pop-up appears, put in your email, click on The Week, then click to update your subscriptions. You’ll be sent an email allowing you to add The Week to your free subscriptions.

This week’s ReVision study is Part 3 of a 10-part series, “Full Faith.” You can download “Begin Here, Remain Here” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.