Within we have the inherent sinful nature, and without we live in a society which is full of sinful defilements. Unconsciously, we are being contaminated by sin daily. Therefore, if we truly walk according to the Spirit and live continually in the Lord, we will surely have the consciousness of sin. Then we should confess our sins before the Lord, and by His leading depart from them. Due to the sinful environment without and the sinful nature within us, it is a very difficult matter to live daily without being defiled by sin. Very often, unconsciously, sin will come to trouble our mind, damage our emotion, defile our spirit, and cause us to be sinful in our actions. Hence, it is only by the blood, as we confess our sins again and again, that we are able to abide in the Lord continuously.
It is very seldom that one who truly knows how to pray can do so without first confessing his sins. The more one walks according to the Spirit, the more he will discover that he has numerous sins within and without. The more he walks according to the Spirit, the more sensitive he will be toward the consciousness of sin. If he commits a slight mistake, he will sense it immediately and will deal with it. The more dealings he has, the more illuminated he is within and the more sensitive he becomes. The more dealings he has, the more he becomes transparent, at ease, fresh inside, and ultimately, the more he lives in the Lord. This is a life of abiding in the Lord.
Morally speaking, some things may not be considered sinful, but if doing one of those things causes a barrier to exist between you and the Lord, that thing needs to be dealt with. The life of abiding in the Lord not only disallows sins, it also disallows barriers. For example, you may have a short talk with a brother. The words may be proper, and the thing that you talk about may not be sinful. But if after the conversation there is a barrier between you and the Lord, then that is still a sin. Because you spoke something contrary to the inner consciousness, it was a sin of disobedience. God told Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Sam. 15:22-23). When one disobeys God, this disobedience becomes a sin which creates a barrier between him and the Lord.
Hence, a life of abiding in the Lord requires us not only to walk continuously according to the Spirit, deal with sins, and depart from sins, but also to always have no barrier between us and the Lord. Regardless how good a certain matter is, if by doing it a barrier is created between me and the Lord, then I should not do it. Do not go by the moral standard, but take the Lord Himself as the standard. Sometimes you may give some money to others or help someone. These things are really good in themselves, but sometimes the Lord forbids us to do them. If you would do them in spite of His prohibition, even the giving of money or helping someone will interrupt your fellowship with the Lord and create a barrier. Refrain from doing anything that would cause you to be separated from the Lord. In order to maintain a life of abiding in the Lord, not only sins need to be dealt with, but any barriers also need to be removed.
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