Get Back Up

Go and Sin No More

…And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.” 

John 8:11 AMP

Oftentimes when we sin, the enemy tries to keep us in bondage by convincing us that we are forever disqualified from God. He floods us with thoughts that we are not worthy, that we shouldn’t ask for forgiveness, etc. Every ploy and tactic of the enemy is to attempt to immobilize us so that we stay in our sin and pity, rather than acknowledging our sin, asking for forgiveness and repentance, and moving on. 

Do you remember the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8? Knowing that it was a sin punishable by stoning, the Pharisees were eager to punish a woman for being caught in adultery. In fact, they had pretty much already punished her but the Pharisees always tried to ensnare Jesus with deep, logical questions and they asked Jesus what they should do with this adulterous woman because Mosaic law requires her to be stoned to death. And at that moment, Jesus writes soemthing in the sand and charges each of them without sin to throw the first stone. This causes each person to leave. 

Jesus is willing to forgive us of our sins, and just like the adulterous lady, He commands us to go and sin no more. You may be wondering what He meant because we obviously can’t be sinless or perfect. It is impossible and the Bible tells us that none of us are good or perfect (Romans 3:10-12 and Psalm 14:1-3). Some biblical scholars purport that the idea is that we don’t return to sinful lifestyles and that we reject the lifestyles we were saved from (Enduring Word Bible Commentary). In other words, if your sin is promiscuity, stop being promiscuous and don’t return to it. Whatever the sin is, don’t return to it. 

Now remember when we opened, we talked about how the enemy tries to immobilize us to not receive forgiveness and to not repent and turn away from our sin. He hits us with condemnation and constantly accuses us:

Revelation 12:10 NKJV

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Job 1:6-7 AMP

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on it.” 

Satan works overtime to essentially catch us slipping. He walks around trying to trap us and then waits for us to mess up so that he can point the finger. And then he tries to convince us that we are unworthy of forgiveness. But the Bible tells us differently:

1 John 1:19-20 AMP

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Micah 7:19 AMP

He shall again have compassion on us; He will subdue and tread underfoot our wickedness [destroying sin’s power]. Yes, You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.

Hebrews 8:12 NKJV

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins [b]and their 

lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Psalm 103:11-14 NKJV

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children,

So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame;

He remembers that we are dust.

Isaiah 1:18 NKJV

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the Lord,

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool.

Acts 3:19 AMP 

 19 So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];

The Bible is clear that we are eligible for forgiveness and that if we confess our sins and repent, the Lord won’t hold in His remembrance.  And Acts charges us to get back up, change our ways, and move forward. 

So we should do the same. Don’t walk in condemnation, nor continue to walk in sin. Repent and move forward. 

Let’s pray:

Father God, I ask forgiveness of my sins. Lord you know the areas I struggle with and I give it to you to help me not stumble or fall. I fall out of agreement with any behavior or spirit causing that behavior in the name of Jesus. I want to serve you and live upright before the Lord. I come against condemnation and thank you for Your conviction. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Caveat: I do want to quickly say that this devotional or the Word should not be taken to mean you can just continue to purposefully and knowingly sin and everything is okay (Hebrews 10:26-27). With that logic, we can all confess Jesus and then live as though we have never gotten saved.