“Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Is. 1:18).
Do you remember the dreams you used to have when you were a child? As a little girl, I dreamed of knights in shining armor, noble quests, bravery and honor. So how did this turn into the heartbreak, rejection, shame and disappointment we see today? How did so many of us move far from the hope and promise of childhood fairy tales into the shadow and despair of jaded and cynical nightmares?
The answer lies with the condition of the human heart:
“Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12).
We obviously live in a day when lawlessness and iniquity abound. When the lawless rule of self reigns, love dies and our protection slips away.
When our lives have gone from dream to nightmare, God invites us to be reasonable, to look bravely and truthfully at our condition and realize it is not a pretty sight! Our sins are not a light shade of pink. They are a screaming scarlet red and demand a blood sacrifice to appease them. But God doesn’t want our sacrifice. His Son has already paid the price. He longs to wash us clean.
Are you hurting and ashamed? God is asking for your broken, bruised and wounded heart. He is inviting you to turn aside from this present nightmare and step back into His dream:
“You have ravished my heart … you have ravished my heart with one glance of your eyes” (Song 4:9).
You’ve stolen His heart. Now open your heart to the love and the truth He has for you. Let it become alive in you. Even now He calls out and promises better things for those who respond to His love.
Ask the Holy Spirit today if there is any area you have yet to give Him. Is there any scarlet sin you have hidden out of fear or shame? Allow His love to cover all, bringing new life and love into your heart.
Adapted from Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry: Why Women Lose When They Give In (Thomas Nelson, 2002) by Lisa Bevere.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett 
