I lied to you all.
Last week, I said I wouldn’t look…I made a pledge, a promise and an oath that I was going to breakaway from a specific sin – and move to breakthrough. Remember? I made a commitment to each of you. I said, I wasn’t going to look at my blog numbers. I said, I would avoid them, so as not to set my heart on them. That is all fine and dandy, except for one thing – I didn’t.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Ro. 7:15
Because I hate what I do, I tend to:
1. Blame – “Every time I opened my page to post the numbers were right there on the right hand side and I couldn’t help but take a gander.”
2. Excuse – “It’s no big deal I looked, more than once.”
3. Deny – “Friends, I have been doing great. No issues over here.”
4. Give up – “Ahh..oh well God, guess this one isn’t going to work.”
5. Get guilty – “I can’t believe I couldn’t follow through on this one small thing.”
And yes, absolutely, my friends, there is a grace for a poor soul like me, for a woman who falls down far more often than she stands up. Thank you Jesus for that! But we don’t just chalk up an image of amazing grace and turn our backs, we chalk repentance on the dashboard of our will so we don’t slam into that dang dashboard yet again, bruising and battering our face.
Where do you find your face ends up
bruised and battered from a repeated sin?
Are you walking in spirit and truth,
or are you walking in flesh and failure?
My friends, don’t be like I am, often afraid to consider #1-5 above (and therefore landing in #3). There is no condemnation. There is no shame. That was simply ruled out when Christ ruled on the cross. But, what is not ruled out is the fact that Jesus is not okay with grey areas of sin.
Be angry, and yet, do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. (Eph. 4:27)
Sin is serious; Jesus said if our hand causes us to sin we gotta get the machete and cut that thing off (well, not literally, but you get the idea). (Mt. 5:30) His point is this process may hurt. It may hurt our insides to change, it may hurt as others deny or reject us and it may hurt normalcy. Jesus never said it wouldn’t hurt, but he boldly said we must get proactive to cut it off.
Failure to do so, is like putting a kid in a candy shop and telling him that he can smell but not bite. It is not happening, fellow sinners! That kid is going to jump in to devour disobedience faster than a gooey gummy bear can slide down his small throat.
What sin we sit around looking at, we will eventually grab, unwrap, salivate over and then eat – hook line full of guilt, sinking us to shame.
You can’t hang around lurking sin and think it won’t attack you. It will.
But, it’s likelihood of entry is far lower if you have set
the alarm system of wisdom to protect you.
Wisdom is foresight that considers what is about to trip.
Wisdom is the intellect that looks at weaknesses, so it can stand strong.
Wisdom is the smarts that stockpiles truth so, when evil arrives, it is prepared.
Wisdom is the brain that sets boundaries and lines around what is most sacred.
Wisdom is the fortitude that seeks to pressure wash it’s temple through prayer.
Wisdom is the mindset that gets active about what it has set its mind on.
Wisdom is the one that knows small things will become big sins in not too long.
Wisdom is the verses that are written all over (whatever) to keep steadfast.
Wisdom is the friend that is a phone call away to help one stay strong.
Wisdom is the stillness established in a day to keep going the right way.
Wisdom is the reliance on the Word that keeps one focused like a champion ping pong player.
Wisdom is the will to have no other will than the will of God.
Wisdom is one who makes a change before sin makes a fool out of them.
It is one who knows that change without pre-set barriers, or safeguards,
is like a bird without wings.
A bird that simply can’t fly towards real spiritual growth.
What boundary do you need to define
so that you don’t end up defined by failure?
I removed my statistics plug-in on my blog. The only way to not look at what you shouldn’t look at, whether alcohol, porn, or online shopping, is to simply cut it off, cut the cord, cut the plug-in or cut whatever – so you don’t get cut. And that is what I decided to do.
You can’t sin if you don’t leave yourself any room to.
Since getting proactive, I haven’t seemingly deactivated my faith by my failure. So, I guess we can consider this a win for Jesus and move on.
What does God want you to move on to as you let go of what holds you back? Consider #1-5 and take flight to new heights of spiritual growth.
Easy Subscribe! Get all Purposeful Faith blog posts by email – click here.
3 Updates for Bloggers.
- Thursday, I am announcing a new Purposeful Faith Contributor. Stay tuned here and on Facebook.
- Submit your guest post to Purposeful Faith by Nov. 16. Details here.
- Join the blogger, encourager and women’s ministry Cheerleaders for Christ Facebook page!

[…] up with Holly Barrett’s Testimony Tuesday, Kelly Balarie’s RaRaLinkup, Holley Gerth’s Coffee for your Heart, and Jennifer Dukes Lee’s Tell His Story. Check […]
[…] up with Crystal Storms at #IntentionalTuesdays, Kelly Balarie at #RaRaLinkup, and Holly Barrett at […]
Great post, Kelly! I think we’ve all been there, beautiful friend. Some days when I look at my blog stats I wonder if my words even matter at all and then GOD reminds me that everything that HE has planted in my heart matters. I love all of the powerful truths that you shared on wisdom. Those really resonated in my heart as every single day, I am seeking GOD for more of that very thing— wisdom. Thanks so much for sharing, Love! GOD bless you! 🙂
I just want to encourage you, Tai, that your words do matter! May the Lord bless your readers and your ministry, Sister!
I agree!
what Betsy said …
;-}
Thank you for understanding. Tai, I love your words. They have so much power, love and release tied up in them.
[…] I’m linking up this week with Kelly Balarie at Purposeful Faith, Jennifer Dukes Lee at #TellHisStory and Holley Gerth at Coffee for Your […]
Way to stand strong after a stumble Kelly! The battle to please God over man is huge in the blogosphere. Thank you for your strong, honest words. I’m covering you in prayer today for discernment of His will, strength to know He’s equipped you with everything you need to answer the call, and for joy as you complete it!!
Thanks Meg. God is good and he is my always helper!
Numbers in the blogging world can be a problem for me as well. I can so relate to you here, my friend! Great job taking the big step of removing the plugin. Boundaries are so important. My biggest issue right now is with food. My boundary I need to set up is getting all the junk food out of my house. Thanks for the encouragement, Kelly!
Go Candace, kick the sugar out. Cheering you.
So true Kelly, the only way to get rid of the temptation is to cut it out completely. It’s a huge step in our spiritual growth when we can not only identify those sins that entangle us, but take bold steps to banish them from our lives forever! Great post today, friend!
Kristine, yes! May we be less full of our own willpower and more full of God.
Girl, truth. Suzie Eller called it another name recently. Addiction. Ouch! The enemy knows our weaknesses and pries open every single crack to creep in.
Wisdom…yes!
He is always trying to pull a fast one. Fighting back with you Susan!
Kelly … I’m going to sit with all those definitions of wisdom. For they look wise indeed …
YAY! Please do.
[…] in His Grip| Good Morning Mondays| Monday Mussings| Making Your Home Sing| Intentional Tuesdays| Purposeful Faith| Testimony Tuesday| Titus 2Tuesday| Teaching What is Good| Tell it to Me […]
[…] at Purposeful Faith, Playdates with God, Small […]
You go, girl. Lead the way in laying out our sin, grasping and holding on to wisdom instead. Love your honesty, Kelly. In truth, we’re all right there with you. Praise God for a way out.
Thank you Kristi. May we fight back what is fighting to take our eyes off of God.
We think we are able to move ahead in strength and resolve and turn around and find ourselves where we were to begin with. We are all sinners. We are weak. We need Jesus everyday and without Him we fall prey to the same things over and over. I love that you bring up turning to God’s Word. That’s where we will always find truth. Prayer and blessings my friend!
Yes, may we find all hope and resilience in his Word. Thank you God.
Thanks for your transparency, friend. When I saw your title, I smiled because I’ve made a commitment to myself: if I tell a lie, I MUST go back and confess it to the person I lied to. Believe me, I’ve had some humbling, embarrassing moments, that that does deter me from lying!
Another one for me: looking at the internet before God’s Word in the morning. I keep my phone far away from me now while I make coffee and get out my Bible. (But I peeked today…)
That’s a great commitment Betsy. I bet it keeps you so accountable. Way to go on keeping your time with God sacred. Blessings to you friend.
[…] up with Purposefulfaith to join in the chorus of encouragement sung by a host of […]
I’m seeing some interesting posts today–posts about feeling burnt out with blogging, overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in it, and fretting over numbers. Kelly, you are not alone by any means! I think every one of us struggles with this. But your being honest and sharing that makes you the forerunner. So thank you for your honesty and vulnerability. Let’s encourage one another to keep pressing on and pressing in!
Maybe God is making a gigantic move to move our hearts back to him. Love that Mary. Let’s do it.
One of your very best posts ever, Kelly. Thank you for your transparency and humility which goes before honor. May God bless you and your ministry, your marriage and family, your vey own heart with healing, hope and love that only comes from Him. HUGS. xxoo #RaRaLinkup
Kelly, I so appreciate your transparency. I’ve gotten hung up on numbers that seem to be affirming. Until they’re low. I’ve fallen into the trap of letting other things/people identify me rather than Jesus. Learning to look to Him rather than to other things for affirmation is the key for me. And yes, cutting out those things in my life that lead me to sin is crucial. Such a great post today. I loved all you shared about wisdom.
[…] Linking today with Purposeful Faith […]
I’m proud of you Kelly! I let the numbers speak too much to me during Write 31 Days in October and of course the drop off now i’m not posting every day is a clear reflection on my writing…NOT!!! 😉 Some areas I have to create distance are heading to a coffee shop to focus on writing when the procrastination cleaning screams…not allow sugar laden products to enter the home…Social Media weekend fasts from time to time to remember my worth is in Christ when I get out of balance! Love you girl!
Kelly, this is such a struggle for me. Thank you for your transparency, friend. I need to set a guardrail because I know when I do, it will be easier for me not to fall into that trap. Such an encouraging post, my friend. Love you. xoxo
These are some powerful words that are much needed today. Thank you friend for the hard but needed lesson.
Kelly,
Proud of you 🙂 Thank you for your honesty and for modeling wisdom and obedience to God…Appreciate you 🙂
I wrote this week about sin, and your post reminds me again of just how we need to return to God every moment of the day — how even saints like Paul did what they didn’t want to do! I love your take on wisdom as a helper in preventing sin to take hold! Beautiful wisdom here!
[…] with Winter | Reflect | Small Wonder | Unite | Tuesday Talk | Intentional Tuesday | #RaRaLinkup | Testimony […]
We all sin, no matter how hard we try not to. I loved your honesty and humility in this post. Thanks for hosting and hope you have a wonderful week 🙂
Love your transparency, Kelly. I am so thankful that He give us do-overs every morning. Hugs 🙂
Kelly, I think many of us can relate to your words here. I try not to look at the stats but that is so hard NOT to do. I am thankful that I am both “saint and sinner” and God still offers grace to me when I make mistakes and still sin.
Thank you Tara. God has so much abundant grace for us. So thankful for that too.
[…] Linking up with: Jennifer Duke’s Lee TellMyStory, Kelly’s RaRaLinkUp […]
[…] a joy it is to link this post with three real-life spaces: Kelly at Purposeful Faith (#RaRaLinkup), Holly for #TestimonyTuesday and Crystal for […]
If it helps at all, you’ve encouraged me to stop looking at the numbers, and I have. So, thank you. But I struggle with other sins, so I appreciate your honesty and real perspective. Not many would tackle that in a blog post. Thank you again! I appreciate you, Kelly. And I love your heart. Hoping we can meet someday soon in person! Blessings!
YAY! So glad. We are in it together Julie.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your post today, Kelly! I so can relate and it convicted me of something I said I would do and just allowed myself to excuse my way out of sticking to it. THANK YOU! I have added your button to my blog. So glad to be part of your beautiful community! May God continue to increase your territory for His glory!
Thank you Patricia. May we follow God in fullness. I appreciate you and your love.
Wow Kelly! What a powerful post. I LOVE that quote at the top! Totally pinning!
YAY! Pin away!
Hi Kelly! What a great post! “Wisdom is one who makes a change before sin makes him a fool.” – Love, love, love! This is one of my favorite posts of yours!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
So glad you liked it Lori. Praise God.
What a good point – that Wisdom acts before sin makes us a fool. Sometimes, though, some have to feel the sting of sin to “see” the wisdom of different choices. It’s especially hard when it is your children – so I pray for wisdom – for me and those I love.
May we walk in the fullness of wisdom not the emptiness of stupidity. 😉 ha.
[…] with other Jesus lovers here: Intentionally Pursing, Purposeful Faith, Holly Barrett, Jennifer Dukes Lee, Holley Gerth, Suzie Eller, Dance with Jesus, and Tracie Miles. […]
So much grace. It’s a crazy world this writing one.
This post is you, Kelly, turning and walking the other way – well done! Love you “wisdom is” list! Good stuff. Have a blessed week!
thank you so very much Kelly….and the comments from all the sisters in faith that I read. It’s so easy to get “down” on yourself after you read some Christian blogs that throw the fire and brimstone at you and tell you that you MUST BE PERFECT AND NOT BE LUKEWARM BECAUSE OUR FATHER AND SAVIOR HATES “LUKEWARM” AND WILL SPIT YOU OUT IF YOU “MESS UP” AT ALL. Our Father and Savior love us dearly and as long as I try as hard as I mortally can to walk in Christ’s footsteps I think I wont have to worry about learning how to dog-paddle in the the lake of fire. Every time I feel like i’m not doing my best…when I say half-truths or show anger….yes, actually rage….towards muslims (I have a horrid problem concerning that), it make’s me feel I’m telling our Savior that He didn’t do it right the first time and He needs to crawl back up on the Cross and die again. Being Christian isn’t easy……but nothing valuable or worthwhile is. God bless you all
May we stay humbly in his arms knowing that abundant grace pours out in the moments we fall. Thank you for sharing your heart Pam.
[…] #RaRaLinkup […]