May 1, 2022
“God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” Ecclesiastes 12:14
“As they listen, their secret thoughts will be laid bare, and they will fall down on their knees and worship God, declaring, God is really here among you.” 1 Corinthians 14:25
My daughter Portia and I are co-contributing authors in an Anthology “Raising Daughters” to be published this month and released at the Professional Woman Network International Conference in Louisville Kentucky, in August 2022. Writing the chapter with her was such a blessing bringing back many memories, reflections, and emotions. I thank God for the woman she has become. I give God all the honor and glory for His divine love, guidance, and protection. I am proud to be her mother!
Our discussions and the process of our writing for the book brought to mind some of my previous experiences of teaching and doing biblical counseling. I also reflected back on some Bible studies, specifically from the book of Ezekiel chapter 18 and other related Scriptures about “finding fault”. I was reminded of how many are quick to blame others for their failures and/or their unfortunate situations. Even today, many continue to blame others for their particular situation and poor choices.
Some children attempt to find a way to blame many of their problems on their parents and others. When life happens, difficulties and trouble come, there are those who whine and complain, “it’s all my parents’ fault! “ Some even try to blame God saying God did not bless them like He blessed others. NO! We all must take responsibility for our own choices. YES, it is true that we are products of our environments and there is little doubt that parents and others can and do have a profound and lasting influence, good or bad on the development of their children’s life. That is why the Word of God strongly exhorts parents to raise their children according to the godly values and principles of Scripture. God is faithful to His Word!
The prophet Ezekiel understood the tendency for children to blame parents. Actually, given their situation, the children of Ezekiel’s day had much to complain about because during that time they were coming of age as exiles in a foreign land and their parents and grandparents had forsaken the Lord. So they kept alive a popular saying about children’s troubles were a result of their parent’s behavior or choices as noted in Ezekiel 18:2
Prayerfully, you are not among the many today who find a way to blame most of their problems on their parents, and/or others whenever problems, adversity, or trouble strikes, and you are apt to say, “It’s all my parent’s fault.”
The Apostle Paul makes it clear in Galatians 5:17, for us that the old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite to what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.
LET’S BE CLEAR! We Must Accept That Sin is at the Root of Our Faults! We must also believe that God knows our every fault; we cannot hide our faults from him.
God’s Word Says:
Psalm 19:12 “How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.”
Psalm 44:21 “God would surely have known it, for He knows the secrets of every heart.”
Psalm 90:8 “You spread out our sins before you-our secret sins-and you see them all.”
Ecclesiastes 12:14 “God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.”
1 Corinthians 14:25 “As they listen, their secret thoughts will be laid bare, and they will fall down on their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is really here among you.”
Acts 5:3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.”
How Does God Deal With Our Human Faults?
God offers us forgiveness.
Psalm 65:3. “Though our hearts are filled with sins, you forgive them all.”
Ephesians 4:32. “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Colossians 2:13 “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.”
1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”
Romans 6:11-12 You should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires.
Romans 8:3-4 The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:17. “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!”
Galatians 5:16 “I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”
How Should I Keep From Focusing On Others’ Faults?
Proverbs 20:9. Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin?”
Galatians 6:5. “We are each responsible for our own conduct.”
Matthew 7:1-5. “Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First, get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
James 4:11-12. “Don’t speak evil against each other, my dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize each other and condemn each other, then you are criticizing and condemning God’s law. But you are not a judge who can decide whether the law is right or wrong. Your job is to obey it. God alone, who made the law, can rightly judge among us. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So, what right do you have to condemn your neighbor?”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.”
1 Peter 4:8. “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
Galatians 6:1 “Dear friends, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”
Ephesians 4:2-4. “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. We are to be loving, humble, gentle, and patient with one another.”
A REPENTANT 
HEART. James 5:9. “Don’t grumble about each other, my brothers and sisters, or God will judge you. For look! The great Judge is coming. He is standing at the door!”
We must realize that we all have faults, we must be responsible first for dealing with our own faults, and let God be the judge of others. We should see ourselves as God sees us. Then we will be humbled. There are times, of course, when we must point out others’ faults, but our focus should not be judgmental. Instead, it must be loving and corrective.
FATHER GOD: Thank You, for Your Word. Thank You for forgiving us of our sins. Help us to always take responsibility for our own sins, and pray for others to do the same, in the Precious, Powerful and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen