It's bound to happen to every believer in Christ. Sooner or later, we will find ourselves in a condition where the joy we find in Christ has diminished, our heart has become increasingly distracted, and we've lost the freshness in our relationship with Jesus. Perhaps it's become difficult to pray. Perhaps we've lost interest in reading the Bible or going to Christian gatherings. How did this happen? We were doing so well! Our love for the Lord was fresh and real and we were growing everyday! ... but look at us now. It's almost impossible to put our phone down and pray for a mere 10 minutes. Our walk with the Lord has basically come to a standstill.
If this isn't you right now, it will be you at some point. I have to say that even though I'm a full-time worker of the Lord, which means that all-of-my-time is for Jesus, my heart has slid into this condition at least twice since I answered His call.
The solution to such a miserable state, as well as the key to avoiding such a slippery downturn, is surprisingly simple and practical.
If this isn't you right now, it will be you at some point. I have to say that even though I'm a full-time worker of the Lord, which means that all-of-my-time is for Jesus, my heart has slid into this condition at least twice since I answered His call.
The solution to such a miserable state, as well as the key to avoiding such a slippery downturn, is surprisingly simple and practical.
This key is revealed in Luke 7:36-50. Here the Lord was invited into the home of a Pharisee, a strict keeper of the Jewish law. A sinful woman entered the house and began to weep, wiping the Lord's feet with her tears and her hair. Such an expression of humility and love! The Pharisee, knowing how sinful she was, was disgusted and judged her in his heart. The Lord responded with a simple story. He spoke of two debtors who owed a lender money—one owed a small sum and the other owed a large sum. Because neither had any money, the lender graciously forgave them both. Jesus followed this story with a simple question: "Which of them therefore will love him more?" The Pharisee, being a logical man, answered that the one who was forgiven more would love the lender more. After acknowledging the Pharisee's answer, Jesus spoke an important principle: "To whom little is forgiven, he loves little" (v. 47b). In this statement we see a strong connection between being forgiven and having a deep and fresh love.
The point is this: In order to maintain a fresh love for the Lord, we must maintain a fresh experience of being forgiven by the Lord.
At this moment do you sense that God has forgiven you of your sins? Do you have a fresh, inward realization that God has forgiven you for that thing you did yesterday, that thing you said this morning, and even that thought you had just now?
God's forgiveness requires only one thing: our confession. A fresh confession will always bring in a fresh joy and love for Christ because He has, in fact, forgiven us of our sins! To experience that forgiveness, we need only to confess.
The point is this: In order to maintain a fresh love for the Lord, we must maintain a fresh experience of being forgiven by the Lord.
At this moment do you sense that God has forgiven you of your sins? Do you have a fresh, inward realization that God has forgiven you for that thing you did yesterday, that thing you said this morning, and even that thought you had just now?
God's forgiveness requires only one thing: our confession. A fresh confession will always bring in a fresh joy and love for Christ because He has, in fact, forgiven us of our sins! To experience that forgiveness, we need only to confess.
At this point I'd like to say a short word regarding confession. On one hand, there is the aspect of apologizing to the Lord immediately after we lie or look at a member of the opposite gender... the wrong way. This kind of confession is important, but the freshness and love that follows confession issues more from a dedicated time of prayer with the express purpose of confessing our sins. In these times we can be more specific and more thorough in our confession. It could be as short as 10 minutes, it could be as long as an hour. It all depends on how open we are to the light. If we want to maintain our freshness with the Lord, it's imperative that we deliberately set aside a chunk of time to pray, allowing the Lord to shine on us to expose us of our sins and responding to His shining by confessing.
When I have these times, some prayers I enjoy are:
- Lord, shine on me—expose me of my sin.
- Show me my sins so that I can confess them.
- I'm sorry for how I've offended you.
- Lord Jesus, I love You. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins.
May we be those who maintain the freshness of our love for the Lord by maintaining a fresh experience of being forgiven by Him. The Christian life should always be filled with a fresh love. For this to be our experience, we must develop a habit of confessing our sins.