Your Iniquities Have Been Barriers Between You and Your God

Your Iniquities Have Been Barriers Between You and Your God

Isaiah 59:2 Lexham English Bible

2 Rather, your iniquities have been barriersbetween you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, from hearing.

The word iniquities here in the Hebrew means misdeed, sin; guilt caused by sin; punishment, evil (behavior) — morally objectionable behavior.[1] As followers of Jesus our lives should not be marked by sin or rebellion. But when we choose to walk according to the flesh, we open our lives to the influence and destruction of the devil. God has given us freewill, so that means we are free to make choices. We are not created as robots and daily we are confronted with countless decisions. But the question is will we following the leading and guidance of The Holy Spirit, or will we follow the desires of the sinful nature. Just because we have come to Jesus doesn’t mean our sinful nature disappears. We are called to crucify it, but it is a choice we must make.

The sad reality is if we have allowed iniquity to find its way into our lives it will create a barrier between us and Almighty God. The word barrier is the Hebrew word bdl and it means withdraw, go over; be excluded, singled out; separate, divide from, single out, to disperse (cause to separate) — to cause to separate and go in different directions[2]. When we choose the follow and indulge in the sinful nature, we choose to separate ourselves from God. Intimacy with our Father in Heaven is broken. We have grieved the Holy Spirit by our choices and our actions. We don’t lose our salvation, but we must come before the Lord, confess our sin and turn from it. By indulging in the sinful nature we have chosen to withdraw from the Lord. It is a dangerous place for any child of God for we have wandered away from the Good Shepherd and it is here that the devil does his greatest work.

Our sins and iniquity have hidden the face of God from us. The word hide here means hide; hide oneself; be hidden secret things, to hide — to prevent something, including oneself, from being seen or discovered[3]. Not only has His face been hidden from us, but our prayers have also become hindered. If we desire a life that advances God’s kingdom and glorifies the name of Jesus, then sin and iniquity must not be given any room. Though it would appeal to our flesh, it carries with it death and destruction.

We have heard reports throughout history of different people who have fallen into sin who had prominent positions and influence in God’s kingdom. Even in the life of the great king David who was a man after God’s own heart, we see that he gave himself over to not only adultery with Bathsheba but also ended up having her husband murdered to cover up his sin. But when David was finally confronted with his sin a year later, he didn’t try to hide it or justify it, he acknowledged it and dealt with the consequences that followed.

Regardless of how strong we think we are, we must abide in Christ daily. We must spend time daily in prayer and the word of God. We must walk closely and intimately with The Holy Spirit, for it will be our greatest defense against the schemes and purposes of the enemy. In Christ we have been set free, but the devil will try all he can to pull us back into the world and the wickedness of sin. May we give no room for the devil. May we diligently guard our hearts. May we desire deeper and greater intimacy with The Holy Spirit daily.

Prayer

Father guard my heart. I know the weaknesses found within me. Father search me and expose anything that is unpleasing to you. Fill my life with all that you are and may you empty me of myself daily. Father have your way and may your will be done. Thank you for saving and redeeming my life. Thank you for setting me free. May I give no room to the devil to more and operate. May you deliver me this day from the hand of the enemy and his every purpose and scheme. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

[1] Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020). [2] Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020). [3] Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).