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King David's Key to a Healthy Faith

King David committed some serious sins, but he kept a close relationship with God. This 1-minute devotion explains why.


 It's not about being sinless, it's about being repentant...

King David committed some big sins. But his life is remembered as godly because of one major aspect of his character.

David had a remarkable ability to honestly repent of his sins. He knew that unrepentant sin would separate him from God, and he loved God too much to let that happen.(1)  

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:8-10(2)   

Christians who minimize their sins build walls of carnality, hypocrisy, and weakness in their lives. They may claim "that's just the way I am" or offer other self-defense excuses.

In contrast, there are Christians who honestly face their sins and humbly repent. They typically display 6 Aspects of Godly Sorrow. Most importantly, they bring purity and renewal to their relationship with God (Psalm 51:10-12).

When we sin, let's sincerely repent!

I encourage you to compare David's sincere repentance with King Saul's insincere repentance: Anatomy of an Insincere Repentance. 

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King David committed some serious sins, but he kept a close relationship with God. This 1-minute devotion explains why.
(1) "Repentance" as used in Scripture (e.g. 2 Timothy 2:25) involves a change of heart and mind. If we repeatedly confess a sin without determined efforts to avoid it, we have not sincerely repented of it.

 These passages should inspire us to be honest, humble, and repentant:

Psalm 66:18: "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."   

See I'm Not Listening.

James 4:6-10: "'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

Isaiah 66:2: "These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word."  

Psalm 145:18: "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."

Psalm 51:17: "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." 

(2) The Greek word translated "confess" in this verse means to promise, agree, confess, declare. It's more than simply admitting to a sin. It's agreeing with God that what we have done is wrong.

https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Life-Devotional-One-Minute-Reflections/dp/1087775760

I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word: Wisdom for Life. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. And find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE. You can read the first 4 devotions in the book by clicking "look inside" on Lifeway or Amazon.
 
I also encourage you to sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

King David committed some serious sins, but he kept a close relationship with God. This 1-minute devotion explains why.




Bible Love Notes

16 comments:

  1. a joyful noiseJune 20, 2013 at 8:28 PM

    One day when I was ranting st the girls, my son was recording my loud carrying on! What an embarrasment when he played it back for us. I know God has one of those recorders too, and I hope he has erased all my bad times as I don't want them replayed. :-) Thanks for the invite to your glorious site!

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    1. UnknownAugust 4, 2018 at 9:53 AM

      Agreed, if we could hear and see our own actions, as a bystander, it would make a huge difference in our behavior and repentance. May God give us that ability. Gail I love your devotions. Thank you.

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  2. Lori HatcherJune 20, 2013 at 8:49 PM

    Gail,
    When I read the sad parts of King David's life, it's hard to believe that the Lord saw him as a man after his own heart. It's a beautiful testimony and a wonderful encouragement to me, however when I fail so miserably. It reminds me that there's always a way back to God, and no one can ever be too far gone. Thanks for the reminder.

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  3. momsthewordJune 20, 2013 at 9:21 PM

    And David was called a man after God's own heart! Thanks so much for hosting again today, my friend!

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  4. AnnetteJune 20, 2013 at 10:25 PM

    very true all that. :)

    thanks for stopping by my blog Gail, your comments were encouraging. :)

    annette @ A Net in Time
    http://anetintimeschooling.weebly.com/a-net-in-time-blog.html

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  5. Life and Breath and Everything ElseJune 20, 2013 at 11:14 PM

    What a merciful God we have. Great post :)

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  6. living from glory to gloryJune 21, 2013 at 9:13 AM

    Good Morning Gail,
    I would love to link up with you, but I would be breaking your rules. I do not even have a button for my Blog! I do enjoy your posts and I have had you on my Blog Roll for a long time. I pray that alone brings your ministry some traffic.
    Happy First Day Of Summer!!
    Blessings, Roxy

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    1. Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.comJune 21, 2013 at 9:18 PM

      You know you can link up, Roxy. What an honor to be on your blog roll. Thanks

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  7. renbloggerJune 21, 2013 at 11:53 AM

    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this post- serious LOVE. Having this view of people makes it easier to forgive them and myself. It is TOTALLY true of all of us that there are some people who will sing our praise and others who would not. All we can do is live for the audience of One and try to make right what we can. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS POST!

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  8. Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.comJune 21, 2013 at 9:19 PM

    thanks, Ren...your insights are good ones...our audience of One...yes!

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  9. AnonymousJune 22, 2013 at 8:41 AM

    Gail I so loved this post....thanks so much for sharing it with us!

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  10. Laura of Harvest Lane CottageJune 22, 2013 at 8:56 AM

    Hi Gail,

    Your thoughts are true about the good and bad in us. Repenting comes a little easier now that I've been doing it for many years; but, sometimes we're blind to what we're doing. That's when the dear Holy Spirit shakes us up a bit.

    Thanks,
    Laura
    Harvest Lane Cottage

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  11. Aimee at Refresh-Renew...June 22, 2013 at 10:11 PM

    Gail,
    thank you for visiting my site. Brought me to yours..which I love. I am a new follower...(and linked up an old post this week.) -aimee

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  12. AdonisSeptember 30, 2020 at 6:27 AM

    Thanks a bunch for the notes. It’s exactly what I needed

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  13. UnknownOctober 7, 2020 at 4:41 PM

    Hi im a 15 year old girl and want to fix my relationship with God .
    May you give me some tips please

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    1. Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.comOctober 8, 2020 at 8:50 AM

      Hi!
      Since I don't know you, let me offer several suggestions:

      1. If you have never committed your life to the Lord, that is the most important first step.

      You can do that all alone by simply confessing your sins, admitting that you are a sinner, and asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

      After you've done that, I recommend that you find a Bible-believing church where you can share your decision with others and start growing in the Lord.
      Sometimes people think they're Christians because they've attended church all their lives, but it's not about attending church or being good. It's about genuinely believing what the Bible teaches about God and committing to follow Christ.

      2. If you've already made a genuine commitment to the Lord, then I assume you are asking this question because you've not been living a godly lifestyle. Perhaps (since you're leaving your comment on this post about King David) you've been sexually involved with someone.

      Whatever your sins are, you need to genuinely repent of them and re-commit your life to the Lord. Repentance is more than just confession. It means that you will do your best to turn away from your past sins. Sometimes a person who is strongly determined can do this on their own, but I recommend that you find an older Christian woman who can pray with you and keep you accountable. If certain situations cause you to sin, I recommend that you avoid those situations. If you are dating someone who expects you to have sex with him, you should quit seeing him.

      3. Start reading the Bible everyday. Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us that God's Word is alive....it changes our hearts and our minds. You need God's Word to move forward in your faith and fulfill the purposes God has for you. Did you know that God has special purposes for you? Ephesians 2:10 says He created you for some specific things...He knows you and loves you and wants you to follow His purposes for your life!!

      4. Other important factors in a healthy relationship with the Lord:
      Good Christian friends who encourage you to live right.
      A good Bible-believing church.
      Bible study or fellowship groups where you can talk about the Lord and share prayer requests.

      I hope these things will be helpful to you. And I've prayed for you as well.

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