“Surely I was sinful from birth; sinful from the time my
mother conceived me!” (Psalm 51:5)
David was using a poetic tool called hyperbole as he wrote
those words. He’s not teaching theology,
he’s expressing incredible guilt. He had
been sinning a long time. He lusted for
Bathsheba, fornicated with her (perhaps raping her), and then had her husband
killed to cover up his sin. He had been
sinning a long time, and as he expressed, he felt as though he had been sinning
since his conception!
Some of us have experienced the consequences of sin so long,
we feel just like David. We look back
over our life and we see this perpetual struggle with a sin that we feel we
just can’t shake and then we look a little farther back. We realize that the sin with which we
struggle has kind of been inherited. Again, this isn’t about theology; it’s
about life. Unfaithfulness, drunkenness,
abuse, self-centeredness, love of money, dishonesty, sexual immorality,
bigotry, or uncontrolled anger have existed in your family for years; more
years than you’ve been alive. And you
feel the heavy burden of sin.
There will likely be a number of important steps to take for
you to break this generational cycle of sin.
Really trusting in the forgiveness of God and letting the body of Christ
help (starting with your spouse if you are married) are two great
decisions. But one of the first steps is
going to be the same step of the Israelites who gathered after the reading of
the law: they confessed the sins of
their fathers and their own entanglement in them.
“Our kings, our
leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay
attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them. Even while they were in their kingdom,
enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave
them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways. But see, we are
slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers so they could eat its
fruit and the other good things it produces.
Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have
placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are
in great distress” (Neh. 9:34-37).
Get it out
there. Pray, admitting this sin to
God. Cry that your predecessors did it Weep that you do
it. Agree with God that your sin has brought you trouble, and then admit to others. Get others praying. Get others in your business. There’s no shame
in admitting sin, only staying in it.
Staying in it will lead to more shame and death - and more generations entangle in it. Confessing it is an important step to peace
and holiness! That’s Life at Work!
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