God loves you when you hurt someone else.
God loves you when you disobey Him.
God loves you when you judge others.
God loves you when your business fails.
God loves you when you let a friend down.
God loves you even if your house is dirty.
God loves you, even if you didn’t tithe.
The truth is, God loves us no matter what.

Does God expect us to follow His Word perfectly?

I think the answer to this question is, “Yes!” He wants you to follow His word.

But, the answer is also, “No!” He knows you will not live the Christian life perfectly, because you live in a fallen world.

However, He does expect you to come and ask forgiveness for when you fail and sin.

He knows you will fall. (Romans 3:23)

He knows your heart. God provided you a way to be cleansed when you fall, slip, or jump into sin. Jesus died on the cross and shed His precious blood so you can know God’s mercy, grace, and unlimited forgiveness.

No matter how many times you fall, God will forgive you. God gives you mercy. Give yourself mercy.

He will forgive you over and over.

At some point, you need to take responsibility for your sins. King David jumped into the pit of adultery, Bathsheba became pregnant, and David tried to cover up his trail of deceit with one horrific sin after the other, leading up to murder. Read the full story in 2 Samuel 11 – 12.

Nathan confronted David, and the truth of David’s deep black sin was finally revealed. In this moment, David saw the depth of his sin for the first time. He cried out in Psalm 51:4, “Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done evil in your sight. . .”

When you rebel and go your own way, at some point you know and realize you are going down the wrong path. It may take many times of confessing your sin to God before you turn completely back to Him. Some sin may be easier to let go of than others. The enemy knows how to entice you and drag your heart down into his dirty mud pit.

What sin do you struggle to tame?

A sin I struggle with is saying a not so nice word as a reaction when I am mad or startled by something. Usually, I immediately confess. It bothers me that this word became a habit at one point. Most of the time, I replace the word with something more appropriate to say, but this word comes flying out faster than I can stop many times. This sin does not hurt anyone, but it does not bring God glory.

I believe you may some sins struggle with for a lifetime and at certain times do better than others. You will be able to walk away from other sins completely. The stronger the hold on you, the harder it is to let go. For the alcoholic, this could be a lifelong battle of relying on God for the times it is hard to resist. For the lazy Christian, this could mean a lifelong battle of making God a priority in life.

None of us are perfect. No, not one (Romans 3:10). We all have our sins, struggles, and ugly places we like to hide in our lives. Yet, no matter what, God still loves us and offers us freedom to be in a relationship with Him through confession.

1 John 1:9 sums up the grace of repentance best: “If we confess our sins to Him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (NLT)

Does God expect perfection?

No, God does not expect perfection from His children. He expects us to come to Him daily to gain the power and wisdom we need each day. He expects us to be real honest with him. Through many struggles, I am honest with God and let him know I want to do His way, but I really would rather do my way. He listens to me and lets me work through it until my heart changes.

The world does not need perfect, plastic, judging Christians. The world needs us to be honest. You and I struggle to be the women God calls us to be. ONLY through the blood of Jesus can you and I have the power and grace to live the Christian life.

Do you struggle with how God views you?

Please share in the comments below.

[This post was adapted from “Week 2–iRepent” in Joyce’s Bible Study, iNeed God: Daily Downloads for Your Heart.]

Joyce Glass is a writer, speaker, and lover of God’s word even more than chocolate! Her desire is to encourage you to walk closer to God. Dig deeper in your faith. Pray in earnest daily for God to teach you His ways, and serve Him right where you live and work now. She is the author of  iNeed God – daily downloads for your heart.  A 90 day journey closer to God! You can connect with Joyce online at www.TheDailyGPS.com.