Feb 27, 20192 min
Read Psalm 51:11
Many sad consequences occur when a believer sins, but the worst is the loss of close fellowship with the Lord. No wonder David prayed, "Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me" (v. 11). David was remembering what had happened to his predecessor, King Saul. Saul turned against the Lord and became rebellious. So God took His Spirit from him and gave the power of His Spirit to David.
God does not remove His Holy Spirit from us today. Jesus told His disciples that the Spirit of God would abide with them forever. When the Holy Spirit comes into your life at conversion, He seals your salvation. He is the witness that you are a child of God and assures you that you belong to Christ.
But when we sin against the Lord, we lose that closeness of the Holy Spirit, the source of our blessing. Everything in the Christian life depends on our fellowship with the Lord. David constantly depended on God's presence, whether he was writing a psalm or leading an army. Therefore, he was anguished about losing the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.
Fellowship is the New Testament word for the presence of the Lord. Sonship and fellowship are two different things. Sonship comes from our faith in Jesus Christ--we are born into the family of God. Fellowship is the result of our faithfulness to Him. We keep our lives clean. We obey Him. We talk to Him in prayer. And He talks to us in His Word. Don't lose this by sinning.
Fellowship with God is conditional. If we have sin in our lives, we cannot have fellowship with Him. Do you take care to walk with the Lord daily? If you're not careful, the Enemy will gain a foothold in your life. Avoid sin, obey the Word of God and maintain a prayer time with Him. Make walking with the Lord a priority.
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