How can you approach a Holy God when you failed again?

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Do you ever feel like you’re not enough? Like you don’t do enough? You give, you serve, you read your Bible, but you still fail. Somehow you’re still haunted with the thought that you won’t ever get it right.

You pray, yet when you’re standing there in His presence you feel unworthy. Some days you won’t even approach God because of what you did the day before.

How could you a “sinner” stand in the presence of a Holy God?

I know I felt this way for years–decades.

How many times have we heard, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”? 

Romans 3:23-24 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Sin in Greek is hamartánō – properly, having no share in; (hamartánō) is regularly used in ancient times of an archer missing the target; loss (forfeiture) from not hitting the target; missing the mark.

Sin = miss the mark; loss from not hitting the target

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Visualize an archer in a contest. He steps up to the line, inserts his arrow in his bow. Raises his bow aligning it with the target. He pulls the arrow back and…whoosh–he misses the target. He losses forfeiting the prize.

Sin is like this archer. We miss the mark. We missed the target. We really couldn’t get it right. We forfeited the prize of our relationship with our Creator and the good life He had planned for us.

I’ve got great news, my friends! In fact, it’s the too good to be true news (that’s what the word gospel means by the way).

Now, envision that losing archer who missed the target as he steps aside. A new archer takes his place. But, this new archer, takes the bow from the one who lost as a substitute archer. The new archer puts the same arrow in the bow, pulls back, and…Bam–BULLSEYE. He hit the mark the first archer couldn’t. To the surprise of our losing archer, the winner doesn’t take the prize for himself. He gives it to the one who missed the target.

Hebrews 7:25 NASB
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

This scripture tells us that Jesus is making intercession for us. 

You know I’ve always thought about intercession as Jesus is up in heaven praying for us. Such a lovely thought isn’t it?

Intercession here in the Greek is entygxánō. It’s made up of a root word, tygxánō, meaning to obtain by hitting the mark. The en, "in," intensifies the root word.

Intercession = to obtain by hitting the mark.

Jesus is the one who hit the mark. 

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We have missed the mark over and over. Jesus however, obtained the gift for us by hitting the mark for us! 

Not only that, but the word intercession (in Hebrews 7:25) also uses the Greek Present tense. Which means to picture ongoing (continual, habitual, constant) action.

No matter how many times we’ve messed up and missed the mark, Jesus, through His death and resurrection, is continually hitting the mark for us! 

This is not a license to sin. Yes, it’s all forgiven, yet, the beautiful things is when we understand what this forgiveness means for us, it doesn’t make us want to sin more. 

“When we turn our face to Jesus, we automatically turn our back on sin.” - Erik Lawson, Senior Pastor of Element Church

Knowing this amazing God and what His son, Jesus, did for us makes us want to follow after such a loving God, and not use it as an excuse to do whatever we want.

1 John 4:19 NKJV
We love Him because He first loved us.

So, let go of the guilt, the “I’m not enough” that’s resounding in your head. 

Thank your loving Father that Jesus is continually hitting the mark for you!! Thank Him that you are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! The prize is yours! He paid for it!

2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Discussion

Do you find it easy or hard to let go of your failures? If you find it hard, does knowing that Jesus is hitting the mark for you change things for you?

Resources

Mirror Moments, Quiet reflections to heal and inspire a woman’s heart devotional by Sharon Fletcher, Donna McDaniel and Heather Bunch 

How God Wants You To Approach Him Even Knowing What You've Done Wrong blog post by Heather L Bunch

The Top Two Beliefs That Make Unconditional Love Conditional blog post by Heather L Bunch

Grace Revolution: Experience the Power to Live Above Defeat by Joseph Prince

Grace Revolution: Study Guide

*Joseph Prince Book/Guide are affiliate links.