Rescue me, O Lord.

     Jesus told the woman caught in adultery that her sins were forgiven, and to "go and sin no more." I wonder if she did? The lies about herself and the ones the enemy gave her to cement the sin she did, must have remained in her even after the encounter with Jesus, unless she received "instant sanctification" including the "renewing of her mind."
     I am finding that many of my own sins that I want to justify because they offer some form of relief from my own inability to cope with the  helplessness in my world, are anchored in justification by self-delusion. Repenting or to stop doing what one had formerly done, is not as easy as it sounds. "Just do it" works as a slogan for a shoe company, but falls short in breaking the web of lies we tell ourselves so we can continue in our sin. I believe that the longer we stay in the sin, the thicker that web gets, and the harder it is to get out. The voice of God speaking to us in the inner man gets "hushed" every time we refuse to (consciously or unconsciously) hear him and respond to it. Instead we hear the voice of our own flesh and it's lusts, fueled with the enemies' encouragement to continue sinning. The warning from God in Hebrews 4:7 comes to mind: "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS."
     When I had to face (and I only "had to" because I opened up to hearing which was made possible by God who knew my heart that truly wanted to stop) the bottom line of what I had been doing, it was staggering and shameful; such as sins are. But it was also a relief, because I was glad to get out of the web of satan that wanted to devour me. With each layer of that web, it seems as if we are getting further and further away from hearing the leading of God, as we are blocking it out. And when we do that, we are hardening our hearts against Him, and we will not enter His rest.
     If, however, you truly want to not continue in your sin, and this desire is in you, God by His power and in His timing will come to the rescue. Your flesh and the enemy has taken you into the maze of the dark cave, but the Light of God will find and empower you to turn back and begin again to take the steps with Him; out of the Darkness and into the Light. Home again into the arms of your Father. "He gives us everything pertaining to life and godliness" and that is "Christ in you." With Him in us, and if our will is opened to His power, it will overcome all sin, but if we continue to hush His voice, and listen instead to the lies, we will soon discover how dark is that darkness. Continuing in sin when anchored with self-delusion, is a dark hole that chains you harder and harder to it's control. Letting the truth that His voice speaks replace those lies, by us first admitting them, is the only way out. If we truly want out, and we are His, He will come to the rescue and set you free. Without a doubt. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."-I John 1:9.