The Greatest Advocate For Us -- Jesus

I've been up since 4a.m. 

Here is my Bible study from this morning: 

**God knew that life on earth would be hard for us. That we would ALL give into sin. Take heart, though, because we have an AMAZING Helper that wants us to be saved from these things that are in the world. Jesus was and IS the absolute answer to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (sin). This cleansing doesn't just happen. 

It happens only by choice AND by action. We must GO to the LORD (our advocate, like a lawyer) and ask Him for forgiveness, to help us do an about-face (cleansing process) so that He can forgive us and cleanse us from that sin. 

Think about it this way: If a person is guilty of a crime, they get a lawyer to plead their case. You could get time in jail from that crime. What's so awesome about this? Jesus wants to forgive you. He is the true Advocate for you. He doesn't have to be, but He has chosen to be. It requires action and heart on your part. What's even more awesome is that you may still have to "suffer" a consequence on earth for your actions, but as long as you have gone to the LORD, asked for forgiveness of YOUR sin, He is Righteous and Just and will forgive you. 

He removes His wrath, judgement, and condemnation from you by this "simple'ish" action and heart on your part. I say simple'ish because sometimes it takes the removal of our pride to go before the LORD, to humble ourselves, and to ask for forgiveness. 

Grabbed from a Google search.
Linked to this website.

It's like that on earth when we wrong someone: We have to "swallow" our pride and apologize. That apology is only sincere when our heart is sincere. Otherwise, that apology means nothing. This action of asking for forgiveness, from the depths of our heart, humbling ourselves before God, allows us to stay in fellowship (relationship) with Him.**

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" (1 John 2:1-6).