I have come to realize how often I step into what is God’s territory.

What I mean by this is when I begin to think and then act on situations that belong to God to address, and not me.

For instance, there have been many people whose names have hit the news because of their sinful behavior, and as a result, they have lost their positions in their churches. What captivated my attention was the one time the man’s sin was not identified.

People began to speculate about what sin he committed.  

Two thoughts came to mind. First, are we also then sinning because what we are speculating is really gossip?  The second thought was, are we then stepping into God’s territory?

Here is the online definition of gossip: “Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.” 

That certainly hits the nail on the head. We have no business having such discussions.

Rather, we should be seeking God on behalf of those individuals who have committed a sin that has been publicized. Please consider that. How would we like it if social media began detailing our sin? 

It reminds me of this event in which Jesus taught about His love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness:

John 8:1-11: “but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

We need to understand that the Pharisees (ie. Hypocritical religious men) who brought this woman to Jesus, were not interested in holiness or justice. The passage makes that clear with this statement: “They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.” 

But God has His perfect reason for addressing our sins. 

Jesus always addresses our sin so that we have the opportunity to confess it, and change our ways. He wants to cleanse us, and restore us. He is able to do this because He paid the debt for ALL our sins on the cross. Jesus’ coming, and going to His death on the cross after being separated from His Father, is all about forgiveness. That is His heart. We hear it in these verses:

1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

2 Peter 3:9 [Amplified]: “The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

Additionally, the Levitical law states: “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.” Leviticus 20:10-12

Notice, the Pharisees only brought the woman. Another point that indicates they really didn’t care about holiness and justice.

We have no idea what Jesus wrote, but whatever it was, everyone left, leaving Jesus alone to address the woman’s sin. What did He say? He told her to “leave your life of sin”.

That is His message to each of us. We are to turn to Him for the power to leave our lives of sin.

As I considered this message along with all the media ‘s publication about people’s sins, I believe that we have tread into God’s territory. God wants to have a personal, private, interaction with each sinner….that includes you and me. 

The Bible only indicates a sin should be brought to the church (God’s people), not to social media, or any other news media, when a person refuses to repent. 

Jesus outlines this in Matthew 18:15-17: “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Please note how God tries to protect the sinner. God is not about broadcasting our sin. We should not be about broadcasting someone’s sin either…because we are in dangerous territory since we are sinners ourselves. The ONLY reason God wants the sin of an unrepentant person to be known is so that we can pray for the person’s restoration, and encourage them in that direction. 

Our territory is to seek God for the person to bring about a heart change so he or she will repent. God’s territory is to work through His Holy Spirit to bring the person to repentance. Our territory is to be joyful at the person’s repentance as we restore them to true fellowship. 

What are some other areas that we tend to encourage upon but are God’s territory?  Revenge comes to mind when I think about that question. What comes to your mind?

How might you and I be encroaching on God’s territory in someone else’s life? What will we do to correct that behavior?

Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com if you would like to talk about a sin you are struggling to turn from, or if you want to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus. 

It is vital for each of us to have a living and active relationship with Jesus. As some have said, you don’t want to leave earth without it!

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2024 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.