Genesis 35:1
“And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.”
At some time or another you will have to get right with God. We often feel that getting right with God only has to do with those who fall into what we call “deep” sin; however, all sin is “deep” sin. All sin is bad. Anytime we sin we must get right with God. Just like Jacob had to get right with God to receive God’s blessings; likewise, you must get right with God if you want God to bless you. I find there were seven steps Jacob took to get right with God that every person who wants to be right with God must take.
First, you must change your direction. Notice, Jacob decided to “go up.” If he was going up, then that means his life must have been headed downward. Your direction ultimately determines your destination. Anytime a person does wrong, they are headed downward. You will never get right with God until you make the decision to change your life. You will never get right with God until you decide to change your direction to an upward motion. In other words, change your actions to right actions.
Second, you must go to church. Bethel is symbolic of church. “Bethel” means, “house of God.” I have always found when a person wants to get right with God, they will have no issue with going to church. They won’t just go to church for one service, but they start attending all services. You will never get right with God until you make church a regular part of your life.
Third, you must use the altar. Jacob set up an altar once he got to Bethel. Once you change your direction and start going to church, you need to start using the altar. There are two altars you must use if you want to get right with God. The first altar is the church altar. I find those who won’t go to the altar have a pride issue, and a person will never get right with God until pride is removed. The second altar is the personal altar. In other words, you must spend time daily with God in the Scriptures and prayer.
Fourth, get rid of your gods. Part of the reason a person sins is because they have allowed gods in their life. A god is anything that gets between you and God. In other words, your sin is your god. Get rid of it if you want to be right with God.
Fifth, you need to change your actions if you want to be right with God. Verse 2 talks about Jacob being clean. You must clean up what you do if you are going to get right with God. You can make a decision to get right, but you truly get right when you stop doing what is wrong.
Sixth, change your appearance. It’s interesting that they changed their garments when they got right. A person who gets right with God will have no issue about dressing the way God says to dress. If you want to be right with God, you will have no problem looking the way God wants you to look.
Seventh, bury your sinful past. In verse 4, Jacob buried the gods under a tree. You will never truly be right with God when you continue to praise your sinful past. Bury your past and don’t bring it up again. There is nothing praiseworthy or talk-worthy about your past. You sinful past is wrong, and you need to bury it.
If you want to get right with God about your past, then you must follow these steps. You will find if you miss one step that you will struggle with staying right with God. I challenge you to follow these steps with every sin you have. You will find these steps can help you to overcome your sin for good.