Three Roots To Watch For . . .

posted by Paula Hendricks on 08/17/11 | Twitter: @PaulaWrites678
Category: Sin; ; 10 comments

Last week during our staff Revival Week, I was reminded that as Christians, God's powerful presence lives in us, and we're powerhouses! So why does it seem like most of the time . . . the "electricity's" gone out? How do you explain this lack of power?  

Richard Owen Roberts told our staff that underneath all our "fruit sins" are three root sins: tree roots
  • Pride
  • Unbelief
  • Stubbornness and rebellion
One is especially sick and opposes revival and Holy-Spirit power like none other . . . pride. If you and I want to be used mightily by God, we'll have to get serious about dealing thoroughly and continually with our root sins.  

For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite" (Isa. 57:15).

Did you catch that? God does NOT revive the proud heart, but He finds the broken (humble) and contrite (those showing sincere remorse) irresistible. That's why it's utterly pointless to imagine we can be filled with the Holy Spirit's power if we're not uprooting these root sins through repentance. (Otherwise, we'll want the Spirit's power for our selfish purposes and not for Christ's fame.)

For me, getting serious about dealing with root sins this week has meant:
  • Calling a person in this ministry and confessing that I'd never really gotten into their life out of fear they'd take over some of my job responsibilities.
  • Scheduling lunch with a pretty young woman I've stayed away from because I've viewed her as "competition" rather than being grateful for her as a friend and sister in Christ.
  • Asking forgiveness for questioning another person's character to a friend.
How about you? What sin is the Holy Spirit putting His "finger" on in your life? Rather than excusing it as "not a big deal," would you respond instantly in obedience so the Spirit can flow through you . . . in POWER? After all, what makes sin so awful is simply this: it's all against GOD (Ps. 51:4).

Comments

HEY, GIRLS! We love hearing from you, but feel limited in the ways we can help. For one thing, we’re not trained counselors. If you’re seeking counsel, we encourage you to talk to your pastor or a godly woman in your life as they’ll know more details and can provide you with ongoing accountability and help. Also, the following comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Revive Our Hearts. We reserve the right to remove comments which might be unhelpful, unsuitable, or inappropriate.

    Jodes
    Thanks
    on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 8:04 am
    Wow.....what can I say?? I really needed that....thankyou =) Often I can look at myself and think that I'm not too bad a person, but this post really reminded me that I need to get down in humbleness before God and then, like you said, His Spirit can flow through me. So thankyou for this reminder =)
    HR
    Humility
    on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 12:34 pm
    Humility can not be produced thru our own efforts. Trust me, I tried that one, and ended up being proud of my own attempt at being humble. Instead, ask God to empty you of your own pride and self-will and to fill you with His Spirit. Then He brought me to the end of myself...when I could not stop myself from sin. The only solution was Jesus and His power that had to be relied upon every day, every moment of the day.
    DD
    trying
    on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 1:47 pm
    God has really been putting his finger on my sin lately. and i know that its wrong. I want to admit my sin and be free of the bondage, but my pride is getting in the way of me doing that because i dont want to be judged. i dont know who to tell about this because i don't know how they will react to hearing what im doing. I've also had a hard time believing that God will forgive me over and over again. i repented a lot, but how can he keep forgiving me when i keep sinning?
    Jewels
    WOW!!
    on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 1:58 pm
    O my goodness!! I cannot believe this!! Two days ago I asked God to teach me something new. Then yesterday He revealed to me how prideful I am. I always thought I didnt have a problem with pride; i thought i was pretty humble, so i always just skipped over those Bible verses. Then God showed me so crystal clear that i have a HUGE problem with pride. In fact, it is so big that it has been hindering my ministry majorly, and i never even realized it!! So yesterday I asked God to show me how to humble myself, and today I read this post!! How amazing is our God?! He truly does answer prayer, and He truly does care about me. I need to deal with this sin in my life, so I ask for your prayers. Thank you God!!
    Joy
    Perfect Post!
    on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 3:41 pm
    Thank you Paula! I've been struggling so much with being "low on power" lately, and this post really helped me see why. It was just what I needed!
    Shining Star
    Awesome post
    on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 7:18 pm
    Wow! Thank you, Paula! The Holy Spirit has convicted me of this sin of pride and I'm trying to battle it. God gently a wonderfuly reminds in the moments O spend in His Presence how foolish I am. I'll never be perfect or completely free of pride...it's just my selfish flesh kicking and resisting the Lord's authority while my spirit says, "Lord, I surrender everything to You!"
    Carrie, with the LYWB team
    DD
    on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 3:59 pm
    The conviction of the Holy Spirit in our lives is a good thing, friend. It is a gift! The fact that you cannot sin apart from that conviction is evidence of the Spirit’s work in your life.

    DD, the God of the Universe – who sent His Son to pay the price for the sin you are struggling to overcome - knows everything about you and loves you still. He is the ultimate judge and He has judged your sin in Jesus Christ. The bottom line is nothing else really matters. Yes, it will be hard if others think differently of you, but does it really matter in light of what God thinks about you? Scripture instructs us to fear God…and nothing else. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Is. 43:1). Psalm 56:3-4 instructs us in handling those times when we are overcome by fear. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid… (Ps. 56:3-4).


    You want to be right with God, dear friend! You want the fullness of His blessing and power in your life. You want to please Him. And you want to repent of sending Jesus to the cross as a result of your sin.

    So confess your pride as sin. And then begin the process of putting that pride to death by confessing your sin to your parents, a youth pastor or an older godly woman. They will help you take steps to walk in victory, DD.

    As you take the step of faith, consider Nancy Leigh DeMoss’ insights regarding the need to forgive yourself.

    If God says, I have cleared your debt. I have forgiven your sins. The payment has been paid. The debt has been paid. It’s been written off. You can go free. Who are we to say, I don’t know if I can be forgiven? I can’t forgive myself." I’m saying, God can forgive me but I can’t?
    I mean, really if you think about it, we put ourselves in the place of God when we say that. God has said, I can. I will forgive. I want to forgive. I’m abundant in mercy. I want to pardon. Will you receive it by faith?
    Praying for you, friend!
    Krlosier
    Re:
    on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 8:42 pm
    Pride is such a hard thing because it's manifested is soo many different ways! Soo many different sins can be traced back to pride! Like selfishness- it's because we tend to think we are better than others and put ourselves first. Disobedience and rebellion--our way is better. Unkindness-making ourselves appear better than others. Impatience-we are what we want are important. Gossip, jealousy...it all can be traced back to pride! The call to be truly humble is sooo hard...but it's so necessary. It's most definitely something I struggle with on a daily basis!
    Lydia
    Uggghhhh
    on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 7:30 pm
    I HATE pride. I hate it!!! I can't ever get rid of it! I know, it's not me who gets rid of it, but the Holy Spirit. I just have a BIG problem with it and wish it would just GO AWAY!
    Ashley Lynne
    Re:
    on Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 3:21 pm
    i kno exacly what you mean!! this one family from my church jus had a big test it seemed like! They were always very devoted to god and great ppl. So his wife gets sick and turns out she has cancer, she only has 3 nmore weeks to live now. He feels like god had competely abandoned him and his family!! We jus really need to be strong and have faith

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