sin

Take 2

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment
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April and I joke whenever we see Liam Neeson in a new movie coming out. Before we know the real name of the film, we call it “Taken 27.” It seems Hollywood often creates sequels to successful movies. Seldom are the sequels even close to being as good as the first one, though. And the average movie buff perpetuates the problem by going to see it. The problem is they don’t know how to tap into the creative power of God, but that’s another blog post.

Maybe the movie makers keep doing the same movie until they get it right. I’m not sure. With most issues in life, there are no “do-overs,” “retakes,” or “sequels.” Well, on second thought, some people do keep repeating the same life choices and patterns. Sometimes, a person’s life choices can have detrimental results that can change one’s life forever. It is usually in those moments that they might say, “Boy. If I could just go back and change my decision.”

At the time of this writing, a corporate professional was recently caught on a “Kiss-Cam” with his arms around a woman who was not his wife. A day or two later, he resigned. You think he didn’t wish he could make a different choice?

Yes, life can be ruff if one makes a wrong decision. It’s also not very forgiving, and neither are people in general. When I worked for AT&T, there was a phrase that I always thought was rather odd: “If you do something wrong, people may not remember what you did, but they will remember your name.” It seems like those were the individuals who got promoted!

Living with regrets can be overwhelming. So may living with the results of bad decisions. I have certainly experienced both. You dwell on them too much, and it can bring about your demise. That is why I am so grateful to know God. He not only forgives us but remembers our sins no more. I figured if God can let it go, then why shouldn’t I? Why let my wrongdoing hold me back from being the best person I can be with God’s help?

When I screwed up and had to leave the ministry, I thought life was over. Like David, in Psalm 51:10, I cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Neither did I want God to cast me from his presence or to remove his Spirit. A few months later, a friend sent me a letter. No email back then. They wrote that God had given them a scripture for me:

I will build you up again, and you, (Mark Brady) Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Jer. 31:4 (NIV)

It has taken some time, years, but God has kept his word. I am still a pastor. It’s just my flock doesn’t meet with me in a sanctuary, and it’s small, but I have known for a long time, success in ministry has nothing to do with numbers. I am so grateful that God gives us second chances, or another take on life. “Thank you, Father!”

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Ps. 103:10-12 (NIV)

18 Who is a God like you,
    who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
    of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
    but delight to show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19 (NIV)

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Who Told You, You Were Naked?

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If you suffer, even a little, from obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), the smallest thing out of order can upset you. I have to deal with this daily, and it can be overwhelmingly frustrating when my wife, April, is the source of something not being “just right.”

In the realm of things that are wrong in the world, to get upset over something minor that she did is probably stupid of me. For instance, not lining up the dishes perfectly in the dishwasher. The way she does it will still get them clean, but to me, they should be lined up.

So, who is right? I hoped that she would understand my issue and change her behavior, so I won’t get unsettled. However, after being married to her for six years now, I don’t think that will happen due to the issues she faces.

I was praying, asking God, “How do I deal with this issue and others that are similar?” My flesh wanted to show her how wrong she is in loading the dishes. It was also expecting her to change. But as I prayed, I heard in that still small voice, “Who told you she is wrong?” “Umm, Satan?” I thought. As if how she loaded the dishwasher was a sin. I realized at that moment, this is my issue, and I shouldn’t say anything to her. It’s a good thing April doesn’t read my blog posts!

Then I got to thinking, Does God expect us to be perfect?  He does expect us not to sin. But He also knows that free will can lead to wrongdoing. Us feeling ashamed for what we have done.

She replied, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” John 8:11 (NET)

7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” 11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” Gen. 3:7-11 (NLT)

And here is why I should not say anything to April:

Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. 1 Pt. 3:8-9 (MSG)

The devil is our accuser. He is the one who will tell you that you are naked. He wants you to feel ashamed of what you have done wrong. He also wants you to believe that whatever you have done is too great for God to forgive. Scripture tells us that God is faithful and just to forgive us if we confess them. (1 Jn. 1:9) Jesus is your defense attorney who reminds his Father in heaven that his death on the cross paid the price for your sins. So, don’t listen to the lies of the devil. You are worthy of God’s grace, mercy, His love, and forgiveness.

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

When is it Okay to Sin?

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Wages of sin is death.

How desperate do you have to be before you make a deliberate decision to sin? Do you tell a lie to cover something you did wrong, so you don’t lose your job or your spouse? Do you take money that isn’t yours because you don’t know how you will make it financially? Are you that desperately lonely that you get into the wrong relationship?

King David had an affair with Bathsheba. Then he had her husband placed on the front line of the battlefield, knowing he would most likely be killed. Why? An attempt to hide his sin.

I know a minister who recently told his daughter it was okay to live with her fiancé before marriage. Why? I believe he is counting on them getting married so his new son-in-law would support them. He probably wants a more comfortable life.

  1. It is never okay to willfully sin. Sin as defined by God’s word. If God says no and you do it anyway, it’s a sin. A big problem today is humanity is trying to make their own definitions of what sin is.
  2. The truth always comes out! (Numbers 32:23) King David’s sins were revealed when the prophet Nathan brought them into the light of day. (2 Sam. 12)
  3. God is faithful to forgive us of sin when we ask for it. (1 John 1:9) There is nothing we can do that prevents us from being forgiven.
  4. Whenever someone sins, people get hurt. King David, though forgiven, still had to pay a price for his sin. I have had to pay big time for some of the sins I have committed. Several people have been hurt too.

The minister I mentioned earlier is already paying a price for blessing sin. Some members of his family are now not speaking to him. And what will happen when the people in his church hear of what he allowed his daughter to do? He might say, “Well. She wouldn’t have listened and have done it anyway.” Then that’s on his adult daughter to pay for her sin. Until she is married, there is no guarantee he will marry her.

God doesn’t list certain parts of life as “sins” to prevent us from enjoying life, but ironically the opposite. A life obeying God brings about an abundant life. A good life full of God’s blessings and provisions.

Do your best to live according to God’s word. Ask Him to help you because keeping our flesh in check is difficult. It is too easy to justify why circumstances call for us to sin. God loves obedient children and rewards them accordingly.

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

I Was Found Guilty!

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“Mark, you have the right to remain silent. In fact, just don’t say anything at all unless I ask you to. Anything you do say will definitely be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, and at the age of seven I doubt you can, one will be appointed for you, but you won’t find any available.”

I appealed to have my hearing moved to the neighbor’s house, hoping that would allow for a fair trial, or at least a lighter sentence. The judge denied my request. As we begin, I looked around and failed to see a jury of my six, seven, and eight-year-old peers.

“Mark, where were you on the morning of July 7th?” asked my mother.

“I was in my bedroom, building a new train station,” I replied.

“Did you or did you not take cookies from the cookie jar after being told not to?” she persisted while raising her voice hoping I would crack.

Sweat began to bubble up on my back. “No. It wasn’t me.”

“You sure?”

“Yes!”

“That’s odd because I have an eyewitness that says you did.”

Gees! My accuser struck again. Seems like my older sister always caught me doing what I wasn’t supposed to be doing, and then she would run and tell my mother. In this case I was found guilty as charged. I would forever be known as a convicted cookie thief.

We all will stand before God one day. And the accuser of the brethren will be there telling on us. Informing God what we did wrong, our sins while we were on earth. We will be found guilty. But then, Jesus Christ will step forward and say to his Heavenly Father, “No punishment will be necessary. I have already paid the wages of their sin. We will escape eternal damnation, and not spend eternity in hell.

Jesus Christ did that for every one of us, out of love. Out of obedience to his Heavenly Father, God. It’s there for the asking, and it’s free. His forgiveness of our wrongdoing means we can no longer be known as a cookie thief or be forced to wear any other degrading title. We will be known as children of God and invited to enter heaven, and live happily ever after.

Salvation and power are established!
    Kingdom of our God, authority of his Messiah!
The Accuser of our brothers and sisters thrown out,
    who accused them day and night before God.
They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb
    and the bold word of their witness. Rev. 12:10-11 (MSG)

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

God, My Enemy?

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Have you ever heard someone blame God for their troubles?  Or insurance companies label calamities as an “Act of God”?  I have.  Job, from the Bible, he certainly did.  In fact, he went so far as to accuse God as his enemy.  (Job 16:9)  I have also heard people say this, “When I get out of the hospital I am going to start living for God.”  Yeah, as you might have guessed, months later they are still living life in the same manner before they went into the hospital.

I was cleaning a stain from the ottoman we recently picked up with a chair for our new “Conference Room” where we go to meet with God.  I looked at the can of “stain remover” and couldn’t help thinking about God removing stains from our own lives.  The foam that comes oozing out of the can is white, and because Jesus died for our stains, our sins, he makes us white as snow.

Though your sins have stained you like the color red,
you can become white like snow;
though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,
you can become white like wool. Isaiah 1:18

Did you notice who makes the stain remover?  “Woolite”.  Did you also see the brush on the end of the can?  Even after our sins are forgiven when we accept Jesus and ask for that forgiveness there can be consequences of wrong doing in our life.  And sometimes it takes a lot of work, or “scrubbing” for those results to be removed.  It can take time and commitment to clean up the mess we have previously made with our lives.  Max Lucado once wrote,

“My mess, is His message.”

I also liked on the can where it said, “Triple Action”.  As you know the Trinity is made of God the Father, Jesus, God’s son, and the Holy Spirit.  All three work together to bring us to the saving grace of God.  I am so thankful to know that when I make mistakes I can be forgiven.  Being clean, free from sin, is a good feeling. God is not our enemy, but our friend and loving father.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

WARNING!

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Charlie 106Here in the Philippines, they print pictures on the packages of cigarettes, that show what could happen if you smoke.  Is it effective?  I don’t know, but I don’t see a lot of smoking going on.  Of course that could be due to the cost of cigarettes.

God told us, in his word, what would happen if you sin – death!  Is it effective?  I don’t know, because I see a lot of people sinning, including me from time to time.  God also showed us what our sin cost – the death of his only Son, Jesus.  You can pay for your sins, or accept Jesus’ payment.  It’s up to you.

”For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23 AMP)

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Strength Helping Weakness

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Charlie 80The words break free of my mouth, before I can think them through,
before I remember, the words of God, that tells, of the damage they will do.
As the last word, in the long ranting, damaging train does its part,
the sorrow, the remorse is already being felt inside my heart.

I don’t want to hurt, and I certainly don’t want to be mean as well,
so why then do I do this over and over again?  Can you tell?
If only there was some way to stop, and think, before I spoke,
then perhaps, the other person, wouldn’t feel as if they’re being choked.

I pray, and ask God to forgive, and then to help me not to do,
I feel better as if it will never happen again, and I will never again hurt you.

I know the great apostle Paul struggled as well.  In 2 Cor. 12:7-10,
He told us that Satan did his best to get him down again.
He begged God to remove this thorn in his flesh,
but God only replied “My grace is enough.” In other words, rest.

Then, “My strength comes into its own in your weakness” so let it be,
so Paul accepted it, realizing that when he is weak, “God works in me!”

So the truth is, on my own, I will never overcome,
but when I am weak, God and I, can become one.
Then, in that moment, before I speak, God’s power will take over,
my response will be of love and peace, and His grace will bring closure.

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

My Rights

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20171209_162330“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

Above is the “Miranda Rights”, which you have heard on TV or in a movie.  In heaven, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, these rights will go something like this:

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in the court room of heaven by Satan. You have a right to an attorney. You cannot afford the One True Attorney, but He, Jesus, will be appointed for you.”

Jesus, has already paid the full penalty, death, for your wrong doing.  Case dismissed.  You are free to go.

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Confessing Sin

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charlie 3I am guilty of expecting perfection of others.  I know, it’s wrong.  When someone disappoints me and I express it, they are instantly hurt to the core.  I hate it when I do it, because I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially the ones I love.

I am trying, by asking God to help me replace expectation with mercy.  Then, when one makes a mistake, I will express mercy, and they will feel love.  Our Heavenly Father does this very thing for us.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36 NIV)

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

The Confession

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

20180618_161958Confession:  I have never been inside a confessional booth.  I grew up in a church where doing so was not part of our spiritual practice.  I am at a temple where there is one.  I am writing this blog post while sitting inside it.  Not intended, but in order to see I brought a small, but bright LED light.  It is casting such a white glow I think it scared a couple checking out the temple.

Here I sit, in this small, wooden structure.  It smells old, musty, perhaps from tears soaking the carpeted board beneath my feet.  There is carpet on the walls as well.  I guess to absorb the sound, but aren’t confessions meant to be heard?

I think there is also supposed to be a man in the booth next door.  A man to hear my sins?  My wrong doing?  What if he is actually a newspaper reporter?  Wait, when Jesus died on the cross, didn’t his selfless act of love cut out the middle man?  After all, the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom.  The veil that once separated man from God.  Now Jesus is our High Priest.

I guess while I am in here I might as well start talking.  Heavenly Father bless me.  It has been 23 minutes since my last confession.  You remember.  Oh, you don’t?  Then maybe I should choose to forget it also.

Now, I confess all my sins.  The ones that denied you, dissatisfied you, destroyed me and demolished others.  The sins that dishonored you, discomforted you.  The ones that would disqualify me from your presence, if it were not for your Son.  The sins that diminished others, disgruntled my employers, and devalued my wife and children.  And don’t forget the one that deflowered me before I was with the proper one at the proper time.  The ones that delayed me from being obedient unto you and your plans.  I also confess the times I digested things that defiled my body, your temple.  The words I spoke that derailed others on track to finding you.  The times my actions denounced you.  The sins that I allowed that wound up discouraging me and damaging my faith.

Forgive me Father.  I ask for your mercy and grace.  Thank you for not deleting my name from your Book of Life.  Thank you for forgiveness, and for your Son, Jesus who gives life through his death.

Now what do I do Lord God?  “Go and sin no more.”

Copyright © 2018 Mark Brady, All rights reserved