OVERCOMING SIN
Many persons realize that sin is wrong in God’s eyes, but they may not understand how much they are hurting themselves and others by ignoring God’s warnings against such sin. What are some examples of serious sin, and how can we develop the right viewpoint so as to avoid the stain and pain of sin, and even help others overcome wrong views themselves, leading to the happiness God promises, now and endlessly, for those who love Him and His right standards for living?
Overcoming Sin
1. HAPPINESS FOR UPRIGHT. Jehovah, the one and only true God of this universe, has purposed an eternity of happiness for those who learn to live and be guided by His standards and ways, and develop a close friendship with Him along with other right-hearted ones. As Proverbs 2:20,21 states: "So follow the way of good people And stay on the paths of the righteous, 21 For only the upright will reside in the earth, And the blameless will remain in it." Clearly people need to learn how to live in such a way. Even the evildoer beside Jesus during his death, who manifested a humble, respectful attitude, was promised: "You will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:39-43) Most people on planet Earth are not yet perfect or complete as regards living a blameless or upright life--and not yet experiencing the full satisfaction and genuine peace and harmony on the planet that God purposes for us all. So, how can we grow to experience true joy and qualify to receive such a wonderful gift in the future extended to us by the Creator and Life-Giver Jehovah God himself? What are some of the serious consequences of bad or sinful practices, yet what blessings await us as we grow to the level of maturity, or spiritual completeness, desired for entry into God's Paradise, the rewards experienced now and forever?
Overcoming Sinful Practice to Find Rich Blessings in Life
2. SIN AND REPENTANCE. The blessings God holds out are many and varied—some, such as hope and inner joy can be experienced now, others are saved for the earth’s future. However, more importantly is your being in line to receive such blessings, and that your loved ones and friends along with others are able to receive such blessings as well, before it may be too late. 2Peter 3:9 says "Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance." Repentance is necessary regarding a practice of sin, especially serious sin. Sin is a wrong or wrongs committed against God or others, out of harmony with God's standards and ways. So what is "repentance"? This involves an acknowledgement of sin as well as it's hurtful effect on your relationship with Almighty God, the harm that was done on your family, neighbors, and friends, which sin likely discouraged or hurt them, the damaging effects upon your own thoughts and ideas, and the terrible emotional impact it may have brought upon you and others--most or all of this being contemplated by you leading to a genuine deep sorrow over what had been done, along with renewed zeal to reject any such wrong in the future. This is the repentant spirit that leads to genuine forgiveness by Jehovah God in his great mercy. As Acts 3:19 states, "Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, so that seasons of refreshing may come from Jehovah himself." Congregation elders are able to render aid in the case of serious sin, as their “prayer of faith will make the sick one well.”—James 5:15,16.
3. HOW MUCH BETTER! While repenting over a past sin is vital and important to correcting one's course in life, how much better to avoid sinning in the first place! “O you who love Jehovah, hate what is bad.” How much better to stay on a good course in life that allows one to maintain a happy, healthy spirit, to be truly successful in life, enjoying a good relationship with Jehovah God and other humans, being able to encourage and help others from the vantage point of faithfulness, with "freeness of speech," perhaps even being in a position to rescue others needing help, rather than going from problem to problem ourselves (Hebre 3:6). Who knows the difference from what is truly good in life, leading to happiness, and what is truly bad, leading to problems and sadness? Is not our Creator, who took so much time considering such things, and has given us His precious word to warn us and help us in such matters, the One we need to look to for genuine wisdom? How can we gain true wisdom in such matters? The Bible book of Proverbs helps us, with a gaining of godly eagle-eyed shrewdness, or foresighted prudence, giving thoughtful consideration to the good consequences of right decisions or actions, as well as the sad consequences or fruitage produced by wrong actions or decisions. (Prove 1:4) As you read the book of Proverbs, contemplate the verses which reveal the end results of our actions and decisions, the rewards or repercussions experienced by such. Thus we learn to look ahead in life, without having to learn from or experience the results of bad decisions ourselves--the problems, the troubles, the turmoil, the headaches, the heartaches, the pain and sadness, along with the need for recovery from such to get back on the right course in life and regain lost happiness.
4. GOD KNOWS BEST. Jehovah God holds out a genuine joy and satisfaction in life that is generally experienced only by those truly appreciating matters involving the figurative heart of a human. "You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength...You must love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37,39). How can we learn to practice this? "This is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments--but his commandments are not burdensome." (1John 5:3). King David encouraged his own son and made this exhortation: "Serve [Jehovah] with a complete heart and a delightful soul, for Jehovah searches through all hearts..." (1Chro 28:9) This heart refers to the inner person--our dreams, desires, affections, guiding principles and standards, ways of doing things, and attitudes affecting our mental outlook. So clearly, by learning new things about God and His purposes one's heart may begin to change--one's attitudes may change and therefore the entire mental outlook may be transformed to be more trusting in God, and therefore more joyful and hopeful in God's promises and precepts. Are such changes in our heart truly going to benefit us? God's word at Psalms 34:8 written by King David says: "Taste and see that Jehovah is good; Happy is the man who takes refuge in him." Jehovah is our Creator--of course He knows best how we tick and what will make us truly happy!
5. DRAW CLOSE TO GOD. By cultivating appreciation and understanding regarding God's precepts, or principles of truth and rules of conduct, our former desires, affections, even goals and dreams may take a back seat in comparison to the amazing things we're learning about the God who IS LOVE, and we may long for blessings He's promised for the future and to be closer to Him. Says James 4:8,10: “Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you indecisive ones...Humble yourselves in the eyes of Jehovah, and He will exalt you.” Clearly we can cleanse our actions and hearts as we desire to be close to the holy God Jehovah, to dwell among His clean people. The “wisdom from above is first of all pure”, or chaste (James 3:17). As you learn, your goals and dreams may begin to fall more in line with God’s wonderful will and purpose. Learning the many virtues His word discusses and praying for His holy spirit can enable us to put on the "new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it." (Colos 3:10). However, we're not left on our own to accomplish these things!
6. HOW, UNLESS SOMEONE GUIDED ME? While absorbing accurate knowledge by a careful study of His word, with assistance from knowledgeable ones, Jehovah makes possible the realization of His good promises in your life. This is true especially with your own reliance on God through the privilege of prayer, not doubting His power or desire to help you overcome obstacles and receive needed assistance. Be willing to ask for help. One distinguished man, when asked if he understood what he was reading from God’s word, responded: “Really, how could I ever do so, unless someone guided me?” (Acts 8:31). As we seek to please God, we can come to experience the fulfillment of verses such as at Psalm 145:16: “You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” If we truly look to Jehovah in our spiritual progress, we will not be disappointed--He can truly guide us on a proper course. You might read Proverbs chapters 1-9, written as a letter from a loving father to a son, with good counsel for success in life. As Proverbs 3:5,6 says: "Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, take notice of him, and He himself will make your paths straight." Such straight paths will lead right into endless life in true peace and happiness. May we treasure the good path that God makes possible leading to such blessings, and help as many others as possible to also find and remain on such a course!
Preventing and Overcoming Serious sin
7. DISTINCTION. In God's word, how much of a distinction is made between sins of a minor nature and serious sins? What about those practicing serious sin before learning Bible truth--in many cases is there hope of real change? What makes serious sin so destructive? What are some of the consequences of serious sin that make it repulsive to any who want to live forever and enjoy good relationships with God and others, also being free and wise enough to help others overcome difficulties as well? Let's explore these and other questions to help us comprehend the scope of sin, "missing the mark" before God.
8. WEIGHTIER MATTERS. In the Scriptures, clarity is found in the difference between minor sins and major or serious sins. For example, Jesus once told the religious leaders of his day, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you give the tenth of the mint and dill and the cumin but you have disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely justice and mercy and faithfulness. These things it was necessary to do, yet not to disregard the other things." (Matthew 23:23). Yes the practice of justice (or, righteousness), mercy, and faithfulness are major, serious, "necessary" matters before God, not optional. Even so, the giving of the tenth of even the smaller herbs was still required, yet shown to be not nearly as serious as the other things mentioned. Thus we must learn good judgment and discernment to make the distinction between necessary serious matters and required matters of lesser importance.
9. KEEP ASKING GOD. Let's begin to look at some examples of "weightier matters of the Law" that should demand our greatest attention, and that we might examine for blessings that result from keeping God's ways regarding such matters, making possible the experience of the promises of God, such as "The blessing of Jehovah, that is what makes rich, and he adds no pain with it" as well as "You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing." (Proverbs 10:22; Psalm 145:16). Would you want such promises of God applied in your case? Then we want shrewd foresight to see the outcome of a right and wrong course so as to learn to hate the wrong practices that Jehovah hates, and love what He loves. His love, "the flame of Jah", is the basic motivation for all of his loving commands, orders, laws, and ways (Song of Solomon 8:6; Psalm 19:7-14). These are all based on principles of truth, which Jehovah freely dispenses to those loving Him and delighting to serve Him in truth. "If anyone of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep asking God, who gives generously to all and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all."--James 1:5-6a. We might also examine these matters in the hope of understanding the destructive effects of failing to reject sin, and other harmful consequences of such a course, as well as correcting those who may have fallen victim to such sin.
10. SERIOUS SIN. Under the Christian arrangement, in God's word, can we find texts regarding such serious sins? Consider, for instance, 1Corinthians 5:9-13. There we read: "In my letter I wrote you to quit mixing in company with sexually immoral people, 10 not meaning entirely with the sexually immoral people of this world or the greedy people or extortioners or idolaters. Otherwise, you would actually have to get out of the world. 11 But now I am writing you to stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those inside, 13 while God judges those outside? “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.”
11. FALLEN VICTIM? How does that exhortation move you personally? Do you perhaps feel you may have fallen victim to one or more of these practices? Could your heart be saddened at the possibility of losing out on the precious privilege of serving Jehovah along with dear fellow Christians who love us and want the best for us? Have you longed for the joys associated with serving Jehovah with his people in the accepted arrangement of true worship, either in heaven or on earth? Jehovah simply wants your loyal love demonstrated by obedience to his laws and ways. Perhaps a little pride makes you a bit upset that you've fallen victim to a degree of sin, such pride making it hard to feel godly sorrow over your wrong course. Still, one may truly humble himself in such a case by realizing the seriousness of the aforementioned sins and reflecting on the resulting impact on their relationship with God, loved ones, and others as well as on their reputation and any other bad consequences that such sins produce. For example, the violation of trust associated with sexual immorality or adultery truly can wreck our relationships with others along with our love of spiritual things, separating our hearts from the love of Jehovah God and even our mates and friends. (1Corinthians 6:18; 10:8; 2Corinthians 12:21) Other lists of sinful practices may be found at Mark 7:20-23 and Galatians 5:19-21.
12. RECOVERY POSSIBLE. But recovery may be possible, with Jehovah's love, mercy, and help, perhaps extended by humbling oneself enough to appeal for the assistance of the congregation's elder arrangement. "Is there anyone sick among you, let him call the elders of the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, applying oil to him in the name of Jehovah. And the prayer of faith will make the sick one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."—James 5:13-15. Verse 16 adds this: "Therefore, openly confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. A righteous man's supplication has a powerful effect." The goal is godly sorrow over the wrong and genuine repentance with a turning around to a right course of conduct, rejecting the wrong as the harmful serious error that it is, opposing it with renewed vigor and determination to serve Jehovah faithfully and not be a poor example to discourage or mislead others of Jehovah's precious sheep. If the sin has hurt others, an effort should be made by the erring one to right the wrong in whatever way possible. (Luke 19:2,6-10). Yes, your sin can be blotted out. (Acts 3:19). As King David once expressed, “13 Where would I be if I did not have faith That I would see Jehovah’s goodness in the land of the living? 14 Hope in Jehovah; Be courageous and strong of heart. Yes, hope in Jehovah.“—Psalm 27:13,14.
13. FAITHFULNESS. On the other hand, if reading such exhortation allows your heart to rejoice in your faithfulness to Jehovah regarding such things, you may well have developed a little deeper appreciation for the many blessings that come from obedience to God and loyalty to His ways. You may well treasure your close personal relationship with Jehovah Himself, often pouring out your heart to Him through prayer and delighting also in your privilege of serving Him, in loving and assisting others to live in harmony with God's ways, finding their own delight in a good relationship with Him and with others. Such blessings are largely due to the fine reputation you've been able to develop over time by your good and faithful conduct. Being able to share in activities with fellow worshippers, learning together and teaching others, as well as perhaps enjoying occasional meals and recreational activities with such dear friends--these are just a few of the blessings we find as we loyally serve Jehovah in truth, in accord with the accurate knowledge of his ways and his laws, learning to imitate God's personality in our dealings with Him and others, and seeking his honor in such things. (Isaiah 25:6,8). Continue to study God’s word, including Proverbs, to refine your discernment, the ability to judge between right and wrong, true and false, good and bad, wise and unwise, serious matters and those of lesser importance. Yes, be open to comprehend the difference between the “weightier matters of the Law” and matters of lesser importance, though still required. May you continue to find "exquisite delight in Jehovah" that "he may grant you the desires of your heart."--Psalm 37:4.
Overcoming Sinful Practice to Find Rich Blessings in Life
2. SIN AND REPENTANCE. The blessings God holds out are many and varied—some, such as hope and inner joy can be experienced now, others are saved for the earth’s future. However, more importantly is your being in line to receive such blessings, and that your loved ones and friends along with others are able to receive such blessings as well, before it may be too late. 2Peter 3:9 says "Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance." Repentance is necessary regarding a practice of sin, especially serious sin. Sin is a wrong or wrongs committed against God or others, out of harmony with God's standards and ways. So what is "repentance"? This involves an acknowledgement of sin as well as it's hurtful effect on your relationship with Almighty God, the harm that was done on your family, neighbors, and friends, which sin likely discouraged or hurt them, the damaging effects upon your own thoughts and ideas, and the terrible emotional impact it may have brought upon you and others--most or all of this being contemplated by you leading to a genuine deep sorrow over what had been done, along with renewed zeal to reject any such wrong in the future. This is the repentant spirit that leads to genuine forgiveness by Jehovah God in his great mercy. As Acts 3:19 states, "Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, so that seasons of refreshing may come from Jehovah himself." Congregation elders are able to render aid in the case of serious sin, as their “prayer of faith will make the sick one well.”—James 5:15,16.
3. HOW MUCH BETTER! While repenting over a past sin is vital and important to correcting one's course in life, how much better to avoid sinning in the first place! “O you who love Jehovah, hate what is bad.” How much better to stay on a good course in life that allows one to maintain a happy, healthy spirit, to be truly successful in life, enjoying a good relationship with Jehovah God and other humans, being able to encourage and help others from the vantage point of faithfulness, with "freeness of speech," perhaps even being in a position to rescue others needing help, rather than going from problem to problem ourselves (Hebre 3:6). Who knows the difference from what is truly good in life, leading to happiness, and what is truly bad, leading to problems and sadness? Is not our Creator, who took so much time considering such things, and has given us His precious word to warn us and help us in such matters, the One we need to look to for genuine wisdom? How can we gain true wisdom in such matters? The Bible book of Proverbs helps us, with a gaining of godly eagle-eyed shrewdness, or foresighted prudence, giving thoughtful consideration to the good consequences of right decisions or actions, as well as the sad consequences or fruitage produced by wrong actions or decisions. (Prove 1:4) As you read the book of Proverbs, contemplate the verses which reveal the end results of our actions and decisions, the rewards or repercussions experienced by such. Thus we learn to look ahead in life, without having to learn from or experience the results of bad decisions ourselves--the problems, the troubles, the turmoil, the headaches, the heartaches, the pain and sadness, along with the need for recovery from such to get back on the right course in life and regain lost happiness.
4. GOD KNOWS BEST. Jehovah God holds out a genuine joy and satisfaction in life that is generally experienced only by those truly appreciating matters involving the figurative heart of a human. "You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength...You must love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37,39). How can we learn to practice this? "This is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments--but his commandments are not burdensome." (1John 5:3). King David encouraged his own son and made this exhortation: "Serve [Jehovah] with a complete heart and a delightful soul, for Jehovah searches through all hearts..." (1Chro 28:9) This heart refers to the inner person--our dreams, desires, affections, guiding principles and standards, ways of doing things, and attitudes affecting our mental outlook. So clearly, by learning new things about God and His purposes one's heart may begin to change--one's attitudes may change and therefore the entire mental outlook may be transformed to be more trusting in God, and therefore more joyful and hopeful in God's promises and precepts. Are such changes in our heart truly going to benefit us? God's word at Psalms 34:8 written by King David says: "Taste and see that Jehovah is good; Happy is the man who takes refuge in him." Jehovah is our Creator--of course He knows best how we tick and what will make us truly happy!
5. DRAW CLOSE TO GOD. By cultivating appreciation and understanding regarding God's precepts, or principles of truth and rules of conduct, our former desires, affections, even goals and dreams may take a back seat in comparison to the amazing things we're learning about the God who IS LOVE, and we may long for blessings He's promised for the future and to be closer to Him. Says James 4:8,10: “Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you indecisive ones...Humble yourselves in the eyes of Jehovah, and He will exalt you.” Clearly we can cleanse our actions and hearts as we desire to be close to the holy God Jehovah, to dwell among His clean people. The “wisdom from above is first of all pure”, or chaste (James 3:17). As you learn, your goals and dreams may begin to fall more in line with God’s wonderful will and purpose. Learning the many virtues His word discusses and praying for His holy spirit can enable us to put on the "new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it." (Colos 3:10). However, we're not left on our own to accomplish these things!
6. HOW, UNLESS SOMEONE GUIDED ME? While absorbing accurate knowledge by a careful study of His word, with assistance from knowledgeable ones, Jehovah makes possible the realization of His good promises in your life. This is true especially with your own reliance on God through the privilege of prayer, not doubting His power or desire to help you overcome obstacles and receive needed assistance. Be willing to ask for help. One distinguished man, when asked if he understood what he was reading from God’s word, responded: “Really, how could I ever do so, unless someone guided me?” (Acts 8:31). As we seek to please God, we can come to experience the fulfillment of verses such as at Psalm 145:16: “You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” If we truly look to Jehovah in our spiritual progress, we will not be disappointed--He can truly guide us on a proper course. You might read Proverbs chapters 1-9, written as a letter from a loving father to a son, with good counsel for success in life. As Proverbs 3:5,6 says: "Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, take notice of him, and He himself will make your paths straight." Such straight paths will lead right into endless life in true peace and happiness. May we treasure the good path that God makes possible leading to such blessings, and help as many others as possible to also find and remain on such a course!
Preventing and Overcoming Serious sin
7. DISTINCTION. In God's word, how much of a distinction is made between sins of a minor nature and serious sins? What about those practicing serious sin before learning Bible truth--in many cases is there hope of real change? What makes serious sin so destructive? What are some of the consequences of serious sin that make it repulsive to any who want to live forever and enjoy good relationships with God and others, also being free and wise enough to help others overcome difficulties as well? Let's explore these and other questions to help us comprehend the scope of sin, "missing the mark" before God.
8. WEIGHTIER MATTERS. In the Scriptures, clarity is found in the difference between minor sins and major or serious sins. For example, Jesus once told the religious leaders of his day, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you give the tenth of the mint and dill and the cumin but you have disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely justice and mercy and faithfulness. These things it was necessary to do, yet not to disregard the other things." (Matthew 23:23). Yes the practice of justice (or, righteousness), mercy, and faithfulness are major, serious, "necessary" matters before God, not optional. Even so, the giving of the tenth of even the smaller herbs was still required, yet shown to be not nearly as serious as the other things mentioned. Thus we must learn good judgment and discernment to make the distinction between necessary serious matters and required matters of lesser importance.
9. KEEP ASKING GOD. Let's begin to look at some examples of "weightier matters of the Law" that should demand our greatest attention, and that we might examine for blessings that result from keeping God's ways regarding such matters, making possible the experience of the promises of God, such as "The blessing of Jehovah, that is what makes rich, and he adds no pain with it" as well as "You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing." (Proverbs 10:22; Psalm 145:16). Would you want such promises of God applied in your case? Then we want shrewd foresight to see the outcome of a right and wrong course so as to learn to hate the wrong practices that Jehovah hates, and love what He loves. His love, "the flame of Jah", is the basic motivation for all of his loving commands, orders, laws, and ways (Song of Solomon 8:6; Psalm 19:7-14). These are all based on principles of truth, which Jehovah freely dispenses to those loving Him and delighting to serve Him in truth. "If anyone of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep asking God, who gives generously to all and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all."--James 1:5-6a. We might also examine these matters in the hope of understanding the destructive effects of failing to reject sin, and other harmful consequences of such a course, as well as correcting those who may have fallen victim to such sin.
10. SERIOUS SIN. Under the Christian arrangement, in God's word, can we find texts regarding such serious sins? Consider, for instance, 1Corinthians 5:9-13. There we read: "In my letter I wrote you to quit mixing in company with sexually immoral people, 10 not meaning entirely with the sexually immoral people of this world or the greedy people or extortioners or idolaters. Otherwise, you would actually have to get out of the world. 11 But now I am writing you to stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those inside, 13 while God judges those outside? “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.”
11. FALLEN VICTIM? How does that exhortation move you personally? Do you perhaps feel you may have fallen victim to one or more of these practices? Could your heart be saddened at the possibility of losing out on the precious privilege of serving Jehovah along with dear fellow Christians who love us and want the best for us? Have you longed for the joys associated with serving Jehovah with his people in the accepted arrangement of true worship, either in heaven or on earth? Jehovah simply wants your loyal love demonstrated by obedience to his laws and ways. Perhaps a little pride makes you a bit upset that you've fallen victim to a degree of sin, such pride making it hard to feel godly sorrow over your wrong course. Still, one may truly humble himself in such a case by realizing the seriousness of the aforementioned sins and reflecting on the resulting impact on their relationship with God, loved ones, and others as well as on their reputation and any other bad consequences that such sins produce. For example, the violation of trust associated with sexual immorality or adultery truly can wreck our relationships with others along with our love of spiritual things, separating our hearts from the love of Jehovah God and even our mates and friends. (1Corinthians 6:18; 10:8; 2Corinthians 12:21) Other lists of sinful practices may be found at Mark 7:20-23 and Galatians 5:19-21.
12. RECOVERY POSSIBLE. But recovery may be possible, with Jehovah's love, mercy, and help, perhaps extended by humbling oneself enough to appeal for the assistance of the congregation's elder arrangement. "Is there anyone sick among you, let him call the elders of the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, applying oil to him in the name of Jehovah. And the prayer of faith will make the sick one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."—James 5:13-15. Verse 16 adds this: "Therefore, openly confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. A righteous man's supplication has a powerful effect." The goal is godly sorrow over the wrong and genuine repentance with a turning around to a right course of conduct, rejecting the wrong as the harmful serious error that it is, opposing it with renewed vigor and determination to serve Jehovah faithfully and not be a poor example to discourage or mislead others of Jehovah's precious sheep. If the sin has hurt others, an effort should be made by the erring one to right the wrong in whatever way possible. (Luke 19:2,6-10). Yes, your sin can be blotted out. (Acts 3:19). As King David once expressed, “13 Where would I be if I did not have faith That I would see Jehovah’s goodness in the land of the living? 14 Hope in Jehovah; Be courageous and strong of heart. Yes, hope in Jehovah.“—Psalm 27:13,14.
13. FAITHFULNESS. On the other hand, if reading such exhortation allows your heart to rejoice in your faithfulness to Jehovah regarding such things, you may well have developed a little deeper appreciation for the many blessings that come from obedience to God and loyalty to His ways. You may well treasure your close personal relationship with Jehovah Himself, often pouring out your heart to Him through prayer and delighting also in your privilege of serving Him, in loving and assisting others to live in harmony with God's ways, finding their own delight in a good relationship with Him and with others. Such blessings are largely due to the fine reputation you've been able to develop over time by your good and faithful conduct. Being able to share in activities with fellow worshippers, learning together and teaching others, as well as perhaps enjoying occasional meals and recreational activities with such dear friends--these are just a few of the blessings we find as we loyally serve Jehovah in truth, in accord with the accurate knowledge of his ways and his laws, learning to imitate God's personality in our dealings with Him and others, and seeking his honor in such things. (Isaiah 25:6,8). Continue to study God’s word, including Proverbs, to refine your discernment, the ability to judge between right and wrong, true and false, good and bad, wise and unwise, serious matters and those of lesser importance. Yes, be open to comprehend the difference between the “weightier matters of the Law” and matters of lesser importance, though still required. May you continue to find "exquisite delight in Jehovah" that "he may grant you the desires of your heart."--Psalm 37:4.