Recognize Your Vulnerability
Some Christians see a fellow believer fall into sin but fail to acknowledge that they, too, could stumble. That’s dangerous. Satan has them right where he wants them: deceived by a false sense of confidence. Three enemies are constantly at work trying to bring us down—namely, the devil, his world system, and our own treacherous flesh.
Even though believers have a righteous standing before God, we must each, like Paul, acknowledge an internal problem: “sin which dwells in me” (Rom. 7:20). Satan takes full advantage of this weakness, luring us with fleshly and worldly temptations. He stokes our pride so we become unaware of our own vulnerability.
Christians need to be continually on guard. Since ignorance—of the nature of sin, the strategies of the enemy, and our own areas of weakness—sets us up for failure, we cannot afford to be careless in our thinking. Anytime we find ourselves excusing, redefining, or rationalizing sin, we’ve lost our sensitivity to God. His Word must always fill our minds and direct our steps.
If you’ve drifted from the Lord, turn back to Him by acknowledging your sin and accepting responsibility for it. Repentance means changing your mind and going in a different direction—toward God instead of away from Him.
The next step is harder: Respond with gratitude for God’s chastisement. Every time we fall into sin, our Father lovingly works to bring us back into fellowship with Him. His discipline may be painful, but it’s always good because it brings us to our senses and reconnects us with God.