I was reading Lamentations 3 today, and there was one verse, Lamentations 3:22, that captured me; it reads: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail." This verse made me take pause, and to think about God’s great love for each of us and how, despite our unworthiness, He found it worthwhile to send His Son Jesus to die for us. I thought of all the sinners I pass each day and how their worthiness of forgiveness, prayer, and salvation is no different than mine was when I too was lost in sin, and walked each day in their shoes.

Aug 16
Aug 16 Bad Living and Bad Praying

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Sin and Praying

As I read the title of the devotional message that Pastor E.M. Bounds had written this morning I was captured. It read "Bad Praying = Bad Living” but, as I read further, it was actually telling us that the way we live can impact the success of our prayers. When we are actively engaged in sinning it is nearly impossible to pray as we should. Oh, we might say the words, but the connection to our heart is broken, and our outreach towards God is without sincerity and strength.

Dec 19
Dec 19 Secret Sins that Break our Stride of Faith

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Removing Hidden Sin

As we move towards a godly state of righteousness we shed one sin after another until at last we are down to our pet sins... those we consider insignificant, and that give us personal pleasure, or reduce the pain of life. When we reach this point, and we refuse to let these hidden sins go, then our relationship with God stalls, and we feel a growing separation from Him. This can happen early on in our walk, but usually it occurs once all of the low hanging sinful fruit has been plucked from us. These deeply imbedded sins that we pray over time and time again will require spiritual surgery to extract them.

Dec 4
Dec 4 Trouble, and Our Inoculation against Sin

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Struggling With Sin

Are you concerned because you are constantly at war within yourself? Does it bother you that there is a struggle going on inside you between good and evil, holy and unholy, or salvation and damnation? Well, take heart because although this conflict is the natural state of man, we have a champion who not only helps us realize the good within ourselves, but helps us to achieve victory over the evil by having already defeated sin for us.

Nov 27
Nov 27 Venturing into the World, a Lifeline to Those in Sin

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Going Into the World

Do we think that by withdrawing from the world, by separating ourselves, that we will become more pious and that this will help us consecrate ourselves by removing all temptation? Well this is a false hope, and if we look at Jesus we understand that He inserted Himself fully into the world. He didn’t run from it, no, He overcame it.

Nov 18
Nov 18 Love, Lust, Sex and the Seed of Sin within Us

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Sexual Sin

What sins do we have in our lives that have enslaved us? Do we have an overriding desire for something that drives us to turn it from righteousness to seek sinful fulfillment, or a need in our lives that makes us complicit or vulnerable to these sinful things? Either way, we have been enslaved, and our sin will rule us until we can find emancipation from it. Sexual predators are in the news almost every day... let’s take a look.

Nov 4
Nov 4 Reoccurring Sins; One Final Victory

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Unrelenting Sin

How often do we sin, then confess and ask for forgiveness only to find purity before falling back once again into that selfsame sin? How many battles must we fight with an adversary before they are at last declared defeated? Do we ask God to heal the wounds of sin, but neglect to ask that He fight them for us?

Oct 5
Oct 5 Crack Babies and the Sickness of Adam

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Original Sin

Do you feel like a victim of Adam and Eve? Do you view yourself as having been strapped with the responsibility for a sin they committed? Nothing could be further from the truth... in fact, our own sins are more than enough for us to deal with. So what did we receive from Adam that has brought us death, and how is it different from sin?

Sep 19
Sep 19 Being Tempted With Christ, and the Bloodied Lamb

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Sinning Again

Are we being tempted with Jesus Christ even today? In that temptation do we continue on with Him, or do we turn away from Him and leave? This is a question Jesus asked His disciples at the last supper, and which is still valid today. Let’s ask ourselves one more question... when we give into our temptations are we saddling and shaming Jesus with sin again?

Sep 15
Sep 15 Cataracts; a Slow Blindness by Hidden Sin

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Tiny Sins

Do we have hidden sins that are undoing us? They don't have to be huge or incredibly sleazy, but dishonest to God's law, and to the commandments of Jesus Christ all the same. Tolerating such minute changes in our behavior will surely undo the good work that has been done in us, and we will slowly, and certainly, become blind in our faith.

Aug 22
Aug 22 Lost Hope and the Arrival of Jesus

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Undeserved Forgiveness

When it comes to God’s grace, do you believe that you have the tiniest amount of worthiness? Do you feel that you are owed forgiveness or that in some way you deserve to receive Jesus? If so then you are not prepared for His coming or the arrival of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist knew what it felt like to be unworthy… do we?

Jul 30
Jul 30 Flat On our Keister before the Lord

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Avoiding God

Are you holding back from opening up to God until you have perfected yourself? Are you waiting for the time when you have become perfectly pure in thought before you seek to have a relationship with Jesus? If so you will never know them. They understand what and who you are, and yet they love you despite of it, let God begin the process of reshaping you.

Jul 26
Jul 26 A Stoning in the McDonalds Parking Lot

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Reemergent Behavior

Are we slaves to instinctive worldly reflexes... this is a recipe for instant sin, and an avenue for our inner person, the fallen man, to bypass our faith and intellect as his voice erupts from our mouths. Conquering this ancient sinful creature within each of us requires that we secure him in heavenly handcuffs and chains that only the Holy Spirit can bind him with.

Jul 3
Jul 3 Sins, Confronting Them One at a Time

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Facing Sin

We are more than just a sinner in the general sense; we are people who commit very specific sins. It is easy to make the open ended statement "I am a sinner", but God wants to deal with each of us regarding the personal, and specific, sins we have committed. On the day of judgement, as we stand in His presence, we will be shown our individual sins, but will we have already dealt with them, or be ready to answer for each one of them in that faithful moment like Isaiah was?

Jun 24
Jun 24 Sin, Forgiveness, and the Lies of Satan

Richard Forbes

Christian , Daily Devotional, Purity and Redemption

Am I a sinner? Am I attempting to lead a life of innocence, or seeking to be pure? Will God forgive me when I sin against Him? These are the questions we should be asking ourselves as we contemplate sin in our lives, and the world around us.

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About

BASED IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, THESE ARE MORNING DEVOTIONALS BY RICH FORBES. HIS POSTS EXPLORE CHRISTIANITY THROUGH PRAYER AND SCRIPTURE.

Oct 14
Oct 14 A Lament for the Invisible Sinners

Aug 16
Aug 16 Bad Living and Bad Praying

Dec 19
Dec 19 Secret Sins that Break our Stride of Faith

Dec 4
Dec 4 Trouble, and Our Inoculation against Sin

Nov 27
Nov 27 Venturing into the World, a Lifeline to Those in Sin

Nov 18
Nov 18 Love, Lust, Sex and the Seed of Sin within Us

Nov 4
Nov 4 Reoccurring Sins; One Final Victory

Oct 5
Oct 5 Crack Babies and the Sickness of Adam

Sep 19
Sep 19 Being Tempted With Christ, and the Bloodied Lamb

Sep 15
Sep 15 Cataracts; a Slow Blindness by Hidden Sin

Aug 22
Aug 22 Lost Hope and the Arrival of Jesus

Jul 30
Jul 30 Flat On our Keister before the Lord

Jul 26
Jul 26 A Stoning in the McDonalds Parking Lot

Jul 3
Jul 3 Sins, Confronting Them One at a Time

Jun 24
Jun 24 Sin, Forgiveness, and the Lies of Satan

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, these are morning devotionals by Rich Forbes. His Daily posts explore Christianity through prayer and scripture.