"Don't Go Into Hiding"

" And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."  Genesis 3:10

When you sin, what do you do?  Do you allow the shame, guilt and condemnation of it to cause you to "hide" from the Lord?  In other words, do you either run from Him or withdraw from going to Him? 

There are times when we are weak in our flesh and give into the temptation that is before us.  We made the choice to sin, but afterwards we have to make the choice to either go to God and confess our sin and allow Him to cleanse us from our sin or withdraw from Him and hide like Adam and Eve did.

The choice the Lord wants you to make is to come to Him and confess it.  He didn't allow Adam and Eve to stay in hiding.  He looked for them and called them out from where they were hiding.  Was God pleased with their sin?  No.  But did He love them?  Yes.  He called them out, confronted them and then made clothes for them to cover up their nakedness-- their sin. 

He does not condone our sin, but He loves us and wants to forgive us.  He doesn't want us to hide from Him or run from Him or withdraw from our fellowship with Him because of it.  He wants us to come and be forgiven and restored to fellowship and communion.  He wants to take away the shame, the guilt and the condemnation.  He wants to restore our peace and joy.  He wants to cover us with His love which covers a multitude of sin.

If you are the person who has sinned, and you are letting that sin draw you further away from the Lord because you are ashamed and feeling unworthy and condemned, don't go from Him, run to Him.  He is waiting with open arms, like the father of the prodigal son, ready to receive you and restore you into fellowship with Himself.

Have a great day.  Don't let the guilt of your sin cause you to go into hiding from God and draw you away from HIs presence.  Go to Him in repentance and He will restore you in your relationship with Him.

For further reading:
1 John 1:9
Proverbs 10:12
1 Peter 4:8
Luke 15:20

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

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