The Concentration of Personal Sin

July 3rd, 2012 by JDVaughn Leave a reply »

Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . —Isaiah 6:5

 

When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind’s attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.

 

This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone’s life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong,” but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah’s vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was “a man of unclean lips.” “He touched my mouth with it, and said: ’Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged’ ” (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.

Journal DJR
Good Morning, Lord
Thanks for the insight that you start our understanding of sin at particular points that we are able to see … and then show us the deeper issues. I had not seen that the great prophet Isaiah had previously had a case of potty mouth … or whatever “a man of unclean lips” means. I suppose everyone has different entry points for you to begin the revelation of our sin. General revelation doesn’t seem to be adequate. We need a personal specific and you then develop it from there as we are able to receive it. Fortunately the depth of our depravity is matched and exceeded by the depth of your love and grace. Thank you for that.

I will never leave you or forsake you. Even when you are in the “desert” or on a prodigal journey, I am there, waiting for you to return to your senses. People return to their senses when they see clearly who they are and who I am. And it usually starts at a specific point, as in Isaiah’s case and expands from there. You can’t push those revelation times and make them happen in an instant. But you can stay open for them and know that’s how I work and stay expectant and curious. It’s how I want my kids to live.

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