What's the Sin That Sneaks Up On You?

Most of us don't intentionally look for sin. Sin is deceptive. It sneaks into the cracks of our life and then little by little widens the door. My sneaky sin is anxiety or worry, I fret. When I asked God over the Lenten season to reveal a sneaky sin that hides in my life, this was it. If I'm honest, it's frustrating. I feel like this is so tangled in my heart, that it's overwhelming, but do you know what else I know? Those tangled vines of anxious thoughts choke and squeeze my heart and God wants me to be free of that. He isn't chastising so much as freedom fighting. He sees me trying to balance all my thoughts. He sees me trying to balance all my children's thoughts. He knows it's too much for me, but I have trouble putting it down.

Somewhere deep inside I'm still believing the lie that things hinge on me. They don't. it's one of those things I know is true, but it doesn't trickle down into my actions.

Instead of this making me feel out of control, I want to learn to accept this as the relief God intends to give.

If you are like me, there are a million things that pop into your head in one day that can lead you to be anxious. Most of them will never happen, but our brains and emotions are still trying to process them. In a culture of information overload, we simply have an overwhelming amount of knowledge to balance. So, I am starting one at a time.

I'm going to keep praying that God will show me my thoughts and how they are leading me to anxiety. One at a time.

I know that God does not leave us without power to change. Accessing the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer can help me beat sin. I am not just an anxious person, I have been given a spirit not of fear but of power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).

Love is powerful. I need to use that power the right way, not in control or manipulation, but in prayer and surrender. When I pray for the people I love, the ones I'm feeling anxious about, I put them in much better hands than my own. I am given power over sin and self-control to choose my thoughts and actions...when I pray and ask for it. The power comes with dependence.

Remember how I said I am doing this one thought at a time? I'm slowing down. I am sitting with God in this one verse, just this one, every single day next week. I am praying it out loud, writing it on my mirror, and choosing to meditate on it until it becomes a rhythm.

"Don't fret or worry.

Instead of worrying, pray.

Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers,

letting God know your concerns.

Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness,

everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.

It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life".

Philippians 4:6&7

God does not expect perfection, but He does expect progress. We can be tempted not to take our sin seriously. We can be tempted not to confess it because we don't want to think about it, but confession helps my heart, it reminds me that I don't want to repeat the sin.

As I pray through this verse this week, I am going to confess when I pick those worries up again. It's not like God doesn't know, but when I simply say, "Sorry God, I did it again", I can lay it down. He chooses not to even see it anymore, it's not on my record, He's removed it as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). He can help me choose to let it go as well, and receive a fresh start, even every ten minutes as needed.

Father, thank you for the freshness of Spring and the freshness of soul that only You offer. Thank You that Acts 3:19 promises that if we repent, our sins are blotted out and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Help me run to You , lay down my sin daily, and recieve that freshness for each new day. Thank you for Your presence.