Tag: fade

20.i. “We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

Romans 10:3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

 Leviticus 26:41   so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity,

 Daniel 9:6-9     We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.  To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.  To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

 Revelation 3:17-18  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

 Isaiah 64:6   We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Has mankind changed over time?  Have they gotten smarter, wiser, more ingenious? Have they been able to do greater and greater advances in science, industrial, technology, physics, chemistry, medicine, social and cultural understanding?  And yet, a man finds, at the end of all of their efforts, they are not closer to God or closer to understanding and knowing Him.  For all of the advances, man has made they seem to think it was because of their great self-knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.  Do they ever wonder who it was that gave them this understanding, wisdom, and knowledge?  Was it not from God?  I think some, over the history of mankind, have sought God for His help to accomplish an advance in science, industrial, technology, physics, chemistry, medicine, social and cultural understanding, and they were blessed by God to accomplish it and they gave God the honor and glory for the accomplishment.  I fear far too many others sought it out for their own glory and honor. Because they did not seek God’s help for God’s honor and glory, they end up thinking that they are capable of accomplishing major advances on their own, without God.  Credit is given over and over again to men and what they have accomplished – The Nobel Peace Prize.  Over time a man thinks God is not real and not needed.  Some may even use what they have accomplished to prove God does not exist.  

There are others who see and hear about the accomplishments of various people and over history apply the same approach to being right with God.  “Being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”  We need to be very careful of what social and cultural influences we use to view God and His plans and purposes for salvation, redemption, forgiveness, heaven, hell, and eternity.

Deceiver and Accuser

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

“Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.”

“May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD”

“For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”

Zechariah 3:1  Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”   Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

Job 1:6  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.  The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

Luke 22:31   “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,

Revelation 12:9  And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

Isaiah 64:6     We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

“They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

It does not take much time reading God’s word and reflecting on our lives to be reminded of our unrighteousness and sin.  Guess who is standing right there when these thoughts come.  Satan.  He is the prince of lies, the deceiver, and accuser.  He tells us that we are unclean, unholy, unworthy, a failure, and unforgiven.  He attacks our faith in Christ’s redemption telling us these lies.  He whispers these lies to defeat what should be a victorious fruit filled God honoring life.  “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you”.  Our resistance is through the promises of God found in His word, faith in God and trusting fully in what He has said.  What God has made clean no one can make unclean.  We are children of the Creator and in His hands we are secure.  Recognize Satan’s whispers of accusation and deception.  Stand firm In God’s promises.  Our lives should be a light of hope to others that is seen through what we say and do for the honor and glory of God.  As the children’s song states “Don’t let Satan blow it out” “I’m going to let it shine”