Have you ever cried out to the Lord and told Him, “With your help, I will never do that again.”  But, sadly, you ended up repeating the same sin and found yourself confessing the failure to the Lord once again with the very same sincere resolve:

“Lord, I am truly sorry. Help me to glorify Your Name and not dishonour it openly or secretly. Never again!” 

Sometimes the cycle of failure and confession leads believers to debilitating doubts and dark despair — not to mention frustration. “Does God even take me seriously anymore when I confess my sin?”

Do you remember in Genesis 20 when Abraham went down to Gerar? He told the King of Gerar,  “Sarah is my sister.”  Abraham was afraid the King would kill him to legitimize taking his wife, Sarah, for himself.  So he deceived the King.  You might have said:

“Abraham – get real! Do you love the Lord or not? Didn’t you do this before in Genesis 12 when you were afraid Pharaoh would execute you to legitimize taking Sarah for himself? Didn’t I read somewhere that when Pharaoh uncovered your lie, he was outraged and expelled you from his country?”

You are right!  Abraham slinked out of Egypt, with a flawed testimony and a red, embarrassed face — caught in a lie. 

So yes, there’s the tragic incident in Genesis 12. And when Abraham was in a similar situation in Genesis 20, he did it again.  Did God write him off for his ‘repeat’ sins?  No! Graciously, compassionately and tenderly, the God of forgiveness restored Abraham to Himself and continued with the plan He had for his life. 

As you read your Bible, isn’t it encouraging to notice that flawed Abraham is more than once called the Friend of God! (James 2:23, Isaiah 41:8 and 2Chronicles 20:7)

It doesn’t make Abraham’s repeated sins any less serious, but it does show the Lord’s willingness to work with broken vessels to maximize our usefulness for His ultimate purposes and glory.

In Nehemiah 9, the children of Israel were all together for a very special occasion. They spent a quarter of the day reading the Bible together and another quarter of the day confessing their sins and worshipping. They recounted their repeated sins and their multiple failures as a Nation, despite God’s faithfulness and goodness. As they shared all their failures, one of the speakers on that occasion said:

But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love, and You did not abandon them. Nehemiah 9:17

Here is what the Word of God says about a Christian’s sin —whether it is the first offence or the 51st offence: 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

God’s faithfulness is not based on the number of times we’ve failed, but on His character.

Perhaps it is time to read Romans Chapters 7 and 8 again. Even though Bible teachers may differ on what the Apostle Paul meant by some of the verses in Chapter 7, one cannot fail to see the ongoing struggle and hassle with sin experienced by all believers.

Despite our desire to be more Christ-like in our thoughts and behaviour, unguarded words often fall from our lips, and attitudes that are unlike the mind of Christ frequently surface in times of duress or stress. If we can repeat these sins, sadly, the propensity to repeat any sin is ever present with us until we are at home with the Lord.

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Apostle Paul, Romans 7:19)

Paul does not leave us with the grim prospect of living a defeated life until we get to Heaven. There will be failures along the way, but there will also be victories, too, as the Spirit does His ongoing work within us. Paul told the believers in Philippi:

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

Get alone with the Lord today and from your heart, with honesty and sincerity, confess that sin and failure and hear Him whisper to reassure you: “Forgiven!” Satan may try to whip you with your failure even though you’ve confessed it. He will do his best to hinder and obstruct you in your life of glorifying God. Remember “Forgiven!” Ask the Lord for the strength to walk with Christ more closely, so you will experience the power to say ‘no’ the next time.   

Sir Elton John Sings “Dear God”

Galatians 5:16 “…Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”