22 – Lori – “I can’t stop spying on my husband or feeling unforgiveness for his infidelity”
“I can’t stop spying on my husband or feeling unforgiveness for his infidelity.”
A Plea for Repentance: Confronting Sin and Embracing Holiness
My brothers and sisters, there’s a battle raging within us, a war between the flesh and the Spirit. Today’s audio message to Lori is a difficult one, a call to confront the darkness that lingers in the hearts of believers. Lori was struggling, caught in a cycle of sin, rooted in her husband’s infidelity and betrayal, and she desperately needed to hear truth, even hard truth, spoken in love.
Many, like Lori, are trapped, repeatedly stumbling in sin, yet claiming powerlessness. But scripture tells us in Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Grace is not a license to sin, but the power to overcome it. We must recognize our sin problem, not as a slip-up, but a deliberate choice.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 warns, “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out…the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.” Because God doesn’t immediately punish every sin, we are tempted to believe we’ve escaped consequence. This is a lie. Romans 2:5-8 states that such stubbornness and unrepentant hearts store up wrath for the day of God’s judgment. True repentance is not merely feeling sorry; it’s a turning away, a change of mind and action. It is not continuing in sin and trampling on the grace of Christ.
Many believers claim they can’t stop sinning, but I say it’s because they haven’t found the right motivation. If they glimpsed the reality of hell, even for a second, they would find instant motivation, as depicted in Matthew 25. People are not powerless against sin; they are often unwilling.
We must understand and consider the holiness of God. When Jesus took upon Himself, the sin of the world, God, in His perfect holiness, had to turn away even from His own Son. If God cannot abide with our sin in His own Son, how much more does He grieve over our continued rebellion?
We are called to strive for sinless perfection, not as an attainable goal in this life, but as a direction for our hearts. Occasional stumbles still happen, but habitual, deliberate sin indicates a deeper problem. 2 Corinthians 13:5 instructs us to “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” Romans 8:8-10 states, “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God… You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.” And verse 9: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” These words should give all trapped in sin, pause.
Jesus, in John 8:31-36, tells us, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” True freedom is found in obedience to Christ, in denying self and following His commands. 1 John 2:3-5 echoes this: “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”
We must let go of our excuses. We must turn away from our sin, repent from our heart, in action, mind, and thought. We must fear God, a fear that leads to obedience and a turning to holiness. Matthew 10:28 reminds us to fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
Let this audio message to Lori be a wake-up call, not just to her, but to all of us. Examine your hearts. Confess your sins. Cling to the truth, and walk by faith in the freedom that Christ offers.
