19/04/2020 - FREEDOM´S FORERUNNER ACT

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Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. Numbers 21:7

When the Israelites realized their mistake, they sought out the man of God and asked him for prayer. Repentance always precedes the act of praying for forgiveness. Now, without the sincere attitude of realizing their transgression, there is no way even to wish to be forgiven. He who does not acknowledge his mistake and yet confesses it for confessing will not be forgiven.

Understand this: without the genuine confession of sins, no one will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Heb 12:14). But whoever had the courage to do something wrong, like the Hebrews that day, becomes guilty of a great sin before the Father and has an obligation to fall into himself and to get rid of the evil done and its consequences. Repentance is a gift from God given to man, as well as to forgive.

Of course, the Israelites called an assembly, to which Moses was not invited, and came to the conclusion that because they had spoken ill of him and the Lord, the fiery serpents arose. So they proposed a commission, which went to Moses, told what the people had done, and asked for forgiveness. Moses brought their plea before God, and He forgave them. So, as if by magic, the vipers disappeared.

We need to be in communion with the Most High, speaking of His love, without letting any evil seed in our hearts. Realizing that you have sinned is noble and praises those who do it. No one is deceived or does not know what happened, because the Holy Spirit warns that something is not right. Thus, when questioned, one must report the fact and return to the Lord!

The Word says that He who covers his transgressions will never prosper; but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Why repeat the mistake, refusing to recognize sin is like practicing it again? He who denies the truth sins against Jesus, because He is the Truth. Then, no matter how much you pray, help will not reach you. The individual who confesses his iniquity is welcomed as a child of God, for he did not help the devil in his evil work.

When the Hebrews repented and took the action of crying out for mercy, they were soon answered. The Lord had surrounded them with protection, so no wild beast had attacked them before. But as they let the devil into their hearts and vent their unclean thoughts, the enemy overwhelmed them and many died!

The prayer of a righteous man can greatly in its effect (James 5:16), and especially if he is the one who had suffered the harm of the bad words with which he was accused. God desires His people to live in His presence without reproach. Confession gets forgiveness and restitution!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares