01/01/2014 - MAKE THE DEVIL’S VICTORY OVER YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ANY EFFECT

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For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. Psalm 38:18

When the devil makes you fall into sin he becomes victorious over your life. From then on, the evil onslaughts against you will succeed. You must close the door for him not to lead you into more error because if this situation continues, your fate can be very tragic. No matter how much an individual has practiced justice: the minute he or she indulges in sin, all his/her good deeds are not remembered.

The only way to undo Satan’s victory in you is to confess your wrongdoings to the Lord as well as to the person against whom you have sinned – by subtracting something, betraying his/her trust or not keeping the vow of fidelity made at the altar before the Lord. To be completely clean, you need to seek the offended party and make amends with him/her. God is above all things; He is a God of justice, He will never help he who hides his iniquity.

The psalmist knew the price to pay for confessing his sin. That price is not always low; after all, the ones who were wronged will take the steps they deem necessary. It is a personal decision of the offended party to forgive or bring to justice those who stole something from him/her. When the heart is truly contrite, the Lord’s favor will be of great assistance in this moment of tension. If the one you wronged is invested with divine mercy, he/she will look favorably towards you.

In this Psalm, David spoke about being in anguish over sin. He knew he was in the hands of the enemy and therefore he had no peace of mind. A true contrition of soul can make people give up sinning and, with God’s help, make void the power that the enemy had over him/her. Do not trifle with sin because once it has been committed it leads to death – separation from God!

It is very sad when we see that an individual cannot care less if he or she will be put to shame or will pay a high price for his sin instead of doing his best to be delivered from the devilish actions. Only he who has been forgiven knows the true value of forgiveness; after all, the life they will lead after ridding themselves from transgressions will show how important it is to have spiritual freedom.

During the ministry of John the Baptist, people had to confess their trespasses publicly (Matthew 3:1-6). Today, you can do it privately if your sin was only against an individual and not against the Church or society. The best is that true confession and consequent forgiveness lead the transgressor to make the victory of Satan in their life without any effect!

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares