As I read Hosea 14 it was like a breath of fresh air. We've just read through 13 chapters, most of which laid out terrible treatment and sin against God. And then we get here and God lets us know that confessing and asking for forgiveness for our sin changes everything. What an awesome God we serve.
So did this chapter (or elsewhere in the book) reveal anything to you about forgiveness? How might we use this book to tell others about this incredible gift? Tami W.
Hi Tami,
I agree, It is good to see His forgiveness, expecially when He describes him self as a Bear, Lion and Leopard in his wrath.
The terms Ephraim, Judah and Jacob come up a lot. I'm not exactly sure but there seems to be some underlying meaning or relationship between those and our present day life.
tm
I think it is wonderfull to know that no matter how far we fall or disappoint God he still loves us no matter what. Because of his Grace he is always their ready to welcome us back into the fold. All we have to do is accept his love and repent. Totaly allsome!!
i believe that God forgives us because he loves us so much, yet i also know that the spirits against us try to remind us daily of the sin we committed. as a new christian how do i or what should i do to keep the wrong thoughts from entering into my thoughts?
The wonderfull thing edith is that you reconize the wrong thoughts so that you can see the sin. By studying his word we learn to reconize evil and sin. We are human so we will sin, but with Gods grace we are forgiven when we repent. The more we envelope ourselves in his word the stronger our armor is. The better we glorify God in our example on living a christian life, and hopefully the less sins we do.
Edith,
Here are a few thoughts on your question.
Let me tweak your first comment a little bit. God doesn't forgive us because He loves us. If He were to do that, He would not be a just God. Justice requires payment for wrongdoing (sin). Because He loves us, however, God makes it possible for us to be forgiven through His Son, Jesus. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." When we accept Christ as our Savior, His death pays the penalty for our sins.
When it comes to wrong thoughts, the sin is not in the thought, but in entertaining the thought. As someone said, "You may not keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair." The best counter-attack for wrong thoughts that I've found is Scripture itself. As Jesus did when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness, each temptation should be met with God's Word. This means you need to study the Bible and memorize key verses. One verse I've found helpful when Satan brings back the guilt for past sins is 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faith and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Other verses I've found helpful are 1 Corinthians 10:13 (discouragement), James 1:19-20 (anger) and Job 31:1-2 (lust).
Allen, Biblical Correspondent at Back to the Bible