A few days ago, I was listening to Trip Lee give a sermon. This sermon in particular really touched me since I related so much to it. The sermon was about how just because you are young, it does not give you an excuse to sin and ignore what you know is right. When I was growing up, thanks to my Mother and Grand parents, I was very close to God. This in a way made me a misfit all through my childhood and most of my teen years, since I technically was completely out of place with everyone I knew and hung out with. I never wanted too for example do drugs, smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol. Even at my young age I knew I was accountable for everything I did, I knew wrong from right, and I always felt so guilty whenever I would cave and do something I felt was wrong by God. I’m not saying I was perfect, I sin still, oh boy have I done some horrible things. I’m saying that whenever I do sin, I get the most extreme feeling of guilt that comes over me.
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. – James 4:17”
As it says in the Bible in James 4:17, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” It does not say “if any adult”, or “anyone over the age of”, the Bible says anyone that knows they are doing something wrong before they do it will be held accountable for their sins. I believe it is a scary misconception that if you’re under a certain age even still with the capability of knowing right from wrong that you are unaccountable for your actions and is a very dangerous way of thinking. Thinking back to even when I was 4 or 5 years old I can still remember avoiding doing something, knowing if I did it I would be punished by my parents, or even sometimes the opposite where I would still do something knowing the chances of getting punished if I got caught. When I would get caught I would always regret my actions and have to deal with my punishment.
“Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains. – John 9:41”
I hung out with a rough crowd in my late teen early twenties. I even have some friends now dead or spending the whole remainder of their lives in prison for their crimes. One for example called me crying years ago facing up to 80 years in prison. I have not heard from him in a long time since we had drifted apart and not spoken in years, he is still locked up to this day. I remember going to parties with these friends, watching everyone live in the now, with the if it feels good do it mindset. Whenever I would partake in said parties I would feel so unbelievably guilty, yet I am so stubborn I would do it again the next weekend knowing I was just damning myself. Thinking back on one of my close friends in particular I remember talking to him the next morning about how I was feeling after a night of partying. This friend of mine had no remorse for things he did and felt no guilt. He was raised in a household that did drugs, drank, lust and didn’t really know any other way of having fun. After I started pointing out our flaws he would not only start to get upset but also started to become more distant from me. I believe this is because I instilled guilt into him, I pointed out our wrong doings, and he still wanted to do them now knowing it was wrong. As Jesus said in John 9:41, If you know not what you do then you will have no guilt, when you find out your wrong doing your guilt will be had as a reminder of your wrong doing for future reference.
“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. – John 15:19”
I feel like a lot of people these days distance themselves from God or choose not to believe in God altogether so they no longer have to be accountable for their actions / sins. When in reality they know they are doing wrong and will forever be haunted by guilt until they fully confess their sins and give it all to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is never to late and there is definitely no such thing as too early to start living our lives the way God intended for us. God reminds us with guilt and shame of things we should not be doing. You should never be ashamed or feel like a outsider like I once did for truly being a follower of Christ. It’s time for all of us Christians to Rise Up above the sin and do as God would want us to do! The Bible says we will be persecuted for being true followers of Jesus Christ, there is no getting away from that. Do not live to please man but live to please God instead.
Let us pray – Jesus please guide me through my days so that I can fall asleep every night and wake up every morning guilt free, unashamed of my actions. Lord God help me understand my purpose and help me guide others to you by letting your love and grace shine through me. Lord Jesus let me learn from my guilt and be forgiven from my sins that I have committed, I know that you paid the ultimate sacrifice, help me realize there is no one on this earth that I should please more than you. Jesus help me rise above the evil of this world and only seek what you have intended for me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Note:
I had bought / read a book by Trip Lee called "Rise: Get Up and Live in God’s Great Story". It was a quick easy read, but really had gotten me thinking. More on the book below (Pleasse note that this is not advertisement and we get zero money for any purchases):
Purchase Rise Here – Trip Lee’s Amazon Store – Rise: Get Up and Live in God’s Great Story
Society says youth is a time for carefree self-expression, but Trip Lee says God has called everyone to RISE from slumber, above low expectations, and to live for the risen King.
The world tells us that our early years are to be irresponsibly enjoyed rather than devoted to meaningful pursuits. We’re told that responsibility and commitment are burdens to be put off as long as possible. And so, most of us spend our youth in a sad state of slumber—sleeping in on life until we’re forced to get up. The problem is that life has already begun. It’s happening right now. And God has called you to live it.
In this powerful book, Trip Lee argues it’s time to wake up and RISE, to live the way we were created to live. Young or old, we’ve been called to live for Him. Right now. Young believers face the same problems as older Christians, but they feel them in unique ways. RISE addresses those core problems in an engaging, profound, and life-changing way.
Don’t just sit there: RISE!
