Sprinklers, Sin, Submission, and the Holy Spirit

The other morning as I sat outside reading God’s Word, I noticed one of our sprinklers was watering our house. I know my sweet Pastor husband points the sprinklers toward the grass. However, this guy seemed to be doing his own thing.

As I went inside to refill my coffee cup, I mentioned to my sweet Pastor husband we had a rogue sprinkler. He stepped outside, took a quick glance, and said, “I’ll fix it tonight.”

We decided later the sprinkler was just a bit off track. I suggested perhaps my sweet Pastor husband bumped the sprinkler with the lawnmower. We wouldn’t know if such an occurrence had happened until the sprinklers turned on. That evening, my sweet Pastor husband had no problem adjusting the sprinkler head so that it sprayed the yard and not our house.

A Lesson from the Rogue Sprinkler

The very next morning, as I sat outside reading God’s Word, I noticed our rogue sprinkler happily sprayed the yard, just as he was designed to do. I read James 5:16-18 on that morning. God spoke to my spirit and used our sprinkler as an object lesson.

God pointed out to me that when we sin, we are like the sprinkler. We get bumped off course periodically. We may still be doing what we think we are supposed to do, but we aren’t living in the most effective manner.

Confess Our Sin

James very clearly states we are to confess our sins to each other. He tells us we need the prayer and assistance of others to enable and empower us to get back on course. We must always remember the goal of continually aligning our lives with the heart of God.

Confession and Forgiveness

God tells us often in His Word we are to confess and seek forgiveness.

• 1John 1:9 promises God’s forgiveness
• Proverbs 23:13 tells us if we conceal our sins we won’t prosper
• I John 4:15 informs us confession opens the door for God’s presence to be in us
• Acts 3:19 instructs us to repent and turn away from sinning, then assures us our sins will be wiped away
• Matthew 7:21 reminds us confession must be followed by submitting to God and aligning our will with His
• Romans 3:23 affirms we all sin
• James 3:3 clearly states we all make many mistakes

Rest in Who God Is

God is fully aware we need continual forgiveness. We must be fully aware we need to continually humble ourselves and confess when we step out of alignment with His will. We can confidently rest in who God declares Himself to be.

Realign with God

I don’t normally think of myself as a sprinkler. However, sometimes I get out of alignment just like our sprinkler did. And just like my sweet Pastor husband realigned our sprinkler, I need assistance in realigning myself with God’s purpose for me.

Life happens, we get bumped, and we focus on the wrong thing. We must repent and change our behavior. In addition, we must not fall into a cycle of beating ourselves up. God asks us to confess and accept His grace, then adjust our thoughts, attitudes, and behavior. Once we return to agreement with Christ, we can continue to effectively do what He’s called us to do.