What practical steps can we take to align with God's will as in Ezra 9:10? The Weight of Ezra’s Cry “ ‘And now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commandments.’ ” (Ezra 9:10) Ezra has just read God’s Law, seen blatant disobedience, and is crushed. His question—“What can we say?”—is the pivot from failure to restoration. The same pivot is available to us every day. Step 1: Face Where We Have Forsaken the Commandments • Hold your life up to Scripture as a mirror (Psalm 119:105). • Ask the Spirit to expose hidden compromise (Psalm 139:23-24). • Keep a written list of areas where your life diverges from God’s clear commands—this turns vague guilt into concrete conviction. Step 2: Confess Without Excuse • Tell God exactly how you have strayed (Ezra 9:6-7). • Name the sin, not the circumstances. • Fully agree with God’s verdict (1 John 1:9). Step 3: Turn Fully Around—Repent • Break with the sin decisively, not gradually (Proverbs 28:13). • Replace the old action with its godly opposite—lying with truth-telling, lust with purity, bitterness with forgiveness (Ephesians 4:22-24). • Make restitution where needed (Luke 19:8). Step 4: Return to Scriptural Obedience • Read until you find a command, then stop and obey it. • Start with clear non-negotiables: worship, generosity, sexual purity, truthful speech (John 14:15). • Keep short accounts—daily walk in the light keeps closets clean (1 John 1:7). Step 5: Separate From Compromising Influences • Israel’s marriages to pagan wives blurred covenant identity (Ezra 9:1-2). • Identify today’s parallels: media that celebrates sin, partnerships that pull you from Christ, friendships that normalize disobedience. • “ ‘Come out from among them and be separate,’ ” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Step 6: Saturate Your Life With God’s Word • Schedule unhurried reading and memorization (Joshua 1:8). • Listen, read, recite, journal—different channels reinforce learning. • Let the Word set your mental thermostat before the world does each morning (Psalm 119:9). Step 7: Walk in Community and Accountability • Ezra knelt publicly; Israel gathered around him (Ezra 10:1-4). • Meet regularly with believers who challenge and encourage (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Give at least one trusted friend permission to ask hard questions (Proverbs 27:17). Step 8: Keep Your Eyes on God’s Covenant Mercy • Ezra appeals to God’s enduring kindness (Ezra 9:13-15). • Remember His mercies are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). • Hope fuels perseverance; guilt alone never changes a heart (Romans 8:1). Practical, daily application of these steps moves us from Ezra’s lament—“we have forsaken the commandments”—to renewed alignment with God’s will. |
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