August 28, 2026

Salvation Should Change Our Relationship With Sin!

When you're born again, that means you have decided to become a born again child of God and have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, you don't suddenly become perfect.

But your attitude toward sin should begin to change. What you once enjoyed without conviction may begin bothering you. Things you once justified, the Holy Spirit begins asking you to surrender. Places you once went comfortably may no longer feel comfortable. Words you once spoke without thinking begin convicting your heart. And when you do stumble, something inside you says, “Lord, I don't want to live like this.” That's evidence of spiritual growth.

A Christian may struggle with sin, but we shouldn't become comfortable living in it. There's a tremendous difference.

Romans 6:12 says: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.”

Sin doesn't belong on the throne anymore. Jesus does. There will still be battles with the flesh. That's why Jesus tells us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.

Some mornings the prayer may simply need to be: “Lord, crucify my flesh today. Guard my mind. Guard my mouth. Guard my eyes. Guard my decisions. Don't let me intentionally walk into something You've already told me to walk away from.”

We shouldn't be planning opportunities to satisfy our flesh. We should be planning opportunities to feed our spirit.

Read the Word. Pray. Fast. Worship. Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Remove yourself from situations you already know are going to pull you away from God.

Grace doesn't make sin safe!

One of the most dangerous thoughts we can entertain is: “I'll do it now and ask God to forgive me later.”

That's not how we should treat grace. Grace is precious because it cost Jesus everything.

Yes, if we sin, Scripture tells us: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins...” — 1 John 1:9 KJV

Praise God for forgiveness! But forgiveness shouldn't make us comfortable planning rebellion.

It should make us grateful enough to say: “Jesus, You have forgiven me of so much. I don't want to deliberately keep choosing what nailed You to the cross.”

Before surrendering to Christ, the question may have been: “What do I want to do today?”

As we mature in Christ, it becomes: “Lord, what do You want me to do today?”

That's transformation. Not perfection. Transformation.

We're still going to face temptation. We're still going to need grace. We're still going to have moments when we stumble. But our direction should be changing. Our desires should be changing. Our choices should be changing.

And when the Holy Spirit puts His finger on something in our lives, our response should increasingly become: “Yes, Lord. I'll surrender that too.”

Temptation may catch you off guard. Sin may cause you to stumble. But you shouldn't be waking up planning your rebellion against God.

When Jesus saves you, He doesn't merely change where you're going when this life is over. He begins changing how you live while you're still here. So wake up tomorrow with a different question:

Not, “What can I get away with today?”

But:

“Jesus, how can my life please You today?”

And then follow wherever He leads.
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Suggested Prayer:
"Dear Lord, thank You for saving me and for the grace You give me when I fall short. Help me never use Your grace as an excuse to deliberately choose sin. When temptation catches me off guard, give me strength to resist it. Change my desires, my thoughts, my plans, and my choices. Let my first thought each morning be how I can honor You—not how I can satisfy my flesh. Help me crucify my flesh daily, walk in the Spirit, and become more like Jesus. When I stumble, help me quickly repent, get back up, and keep following You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Premeditated Sin Should End At Salvation!

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” — Romans 6:1–2 KJV

The Lord laid something very simple but powerful on my heart years back: "When you truly get saved, your days of premeditated sin should come to an end."

That doesn't mean you'll never sin again. It doesn't mean temptation suddenly disappears or that you'll never stumble. The devil will tempt you. He'll try to catch you off guard, in fact he will catch us off guard, because he's sly as a fox and sneaky and his greatest tools are hindrances and distractions. There will be moments when the flesh gets the better of you and you have to run back to God, confess it, repent, and ask Him to help you do better. But there's a difference between falling into sin and planning to sin.

Before Christ changes our hearts, we may wake up thinking about what we want to do, where we want to go, and how we're going to satisfy our flesh without giving much thought to whether it pleases God. But salvation changes something inside of us, and we have to start living under the Holy Ghost convicting power of God. 

You shouldn't wake up every morning already planning:

“How am I going to sin today?”
“What can I get away with?”
“How close to the line can I walk without crossing it?”

A heart that has been transformed by Jesus should begin asking a completely different question(s): “Lord, how can I please You today?” "Help me to walk in Your will and Your way?" "Help me to crucify the flesh today?"

Temptation Is NOT the Same as Premeditation. Jesus Himself was tempted, yet He did not sin. Temptation can come suddenly. Something can catch you in a weak moment. The enemy knows where you're vulnerable, and he will absolutely try to use those areas against you.

That's why Scripture says: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” — Matthew 26:41 KJV

But deliberately planning sin is different. Premeditated sin says, “I know this is wrong. I know God doesn't want me doing it. But I've already decided I'm going to do it anyway.”

That's dangerous territory for a believer. God's grace was never intended to become permission to deliberately continue doing what He has called us to leave behind.

Paul asked: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” His answer was immediate: “God forbid.” in other words, "certainly not"!


A Testimony (Story) Behind The Blog!

November 2017 marked the birth of my blog, "Becoming Better Women". Which is me striving everyday to become more Christ-like! 

Looking back, I am so thankful for the continual healing God has brought into my life since I began this journey. Today, the last week of August 2026, the blog has grown to more than 650 posts filled with devotions, Bible studies, Books of the Bible study guides, encouragement, and so much more. But at the heart of every post is one purpose: becoming more Christ-like.

Long before the blog ever existed, I had saved years' worth of writings, notes, studies, and devotions. When one of my very best friends encouraged me to start a blog, I finally listened and decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! I had no idea then what God would do with one simple step of obedience.

2026 Update: I am still in awe of what God has done. Without ever paying to advertise this blog, God has allowed "Becoming Better Women" to be viewed nearly 250,000 times, reaching readers in 142 countries out of 195 recognized countries and additional unidentified "unknown" and "other" regions around the world. I keep them checked off on a printed world map I have.

That absolutely boggles my mind! For years, I've felt a burden and desire for missions. Because circumstances with my health have prevented me from traveling abroad as I once imagined, although I am thankful that I got to be a part of in state missions trips, God showed me that you don't necessarily have to board an airplane to become a missionary. I even think about this each year I pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, that are sent all over the world. 

He made another way. Through something as simple as a blog, words written from my home have traveled to places my feet may never go. And that humbles me. My prayer has always been that somewhere, someone would find exactly what they needed within these posts. That the discouraged would be encouraged, the hurting would find healing, the weary would find strength, and someone searching for Jesus would find their way to Him.

The birth of this blog brought healing into many areas of my own life, and my prayer is that God has used it to bring healing into the lives of others as well. I don't believe I'll ever fully know the impact this little blog has made on this side of glory. But oh, one day I believe I will! ❤️🙌🏻

I pray there are testimonies I know nothing about: stories of healing, breakthroughs, restored hope, answered prayers, and, most importantly, salvations because God used something written here to speak to someone's heart.

I can only imagine standing in Heaven one day and having someone find me and say: “Because of something you posted that I read, I prayed that day and asked Jesus into my heart and life.”

How amazing would that be? If just one soul has found Jesus through something God placed on my heart to write, then every post, every struggle, every late night, and every moment spent writing (typing out the words) has been worth it.

This blog has also helped me keep pushing forward in my own journey. I may struggle, but I will never quit. I'm still becoming that better woman or God on a daily basis. Still growing.
Still healing. Still learning to listen to God's voice. Still learning to seek Him with everything I have. Still becoming stronger in the Lord. And, again, still striving every day to become a better woman of God.

That's what "Becoming Better Women" has always been about: not becoming perfect, but continually allowing Jesus to change us, heal us, strengthen us, and make us more like Him.

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Looking for Encouragement?

With more than 660 posts, there's a good chance, well a 99.9% chance, that I've written about something you're facing. On the left-hand side of the blog, just above my bio information, you'll find the “Search This Blog” section.

Type in a subject you're struggling with, studying, or simply wanting to learn more about, a book of the Bible (as I have summary post of all 66 books), and it will bring up the posts most relevant to that topic.

My prayer and heart's desire remains the same: May these words reach whoever needs them, wherever they may be. May they encourage hearts, bring healing, strengthen faith, and above everything else, point people to Jesus. And may I never stop becoming the woman of God He has called me to be. In Christ, Kimmy Mc.

Repentance, Change, and Living Ready!

"Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You"!

Several years back the Lord clearly gave me a motto to live by and share with others: "Get Ready, Be Ready, and Stay Ready"!

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” — Numbers 32:23 KJV

“For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” — Luke 8:17 KJV

There is a simple truth worth remembering: if you have to hide what you are doing, there is a good chance you already know something isn't right, in fact you know it's not right. That tugging at your heart, that uneasy feeling, those sleepless nights you may be having... your under the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

We may hide things from people, but we cannot hide them from God. Numbers 32:23 gives a sobering warning: “be sure your sin will find you out.” Luke 8:17 reminds us that what is secret will eventually be brought to light.

But God's purpose in exposing sin isn't to shame us. God brings conviction and change NOT condemnation and confusion. God reveals what is hidden because He desires repentance, restoration, and change on our part. 

God truly forgives a repentant heart. When we confess our sins and turn to Him, His mercy is greater than our failures. But forgiveness doesn't necessarily erase every earthly consequence of our choices, even in the biblical days there were consequences for the sins of the people all the way back to the first sin in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve.

Sometimes we can be completely forgiven by God and still have things we must walk through because of decisions we've made. Relationships may need rebuilding. Trust may need to be restored. Damage may need repairing. Many of us can look back and say, “Been there, done that—and I'm still growing". That's me, holding my hand up! Both hands actually! We never stop growing this side of Heaven.

That's why none of us should approach this message with stones in our hands. We should approach it with humility in our hearts.

“Go, and Sin No More” - John 8 tells us about a woman caught in adultery. The religious leaders were ready to stone her, but Jesus responded with mercy. After her accusers left, Jesus told her:

“Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” — John 8:11 KJV

Jesus offered her grace, but He didn't call her sin acceptable. He didn't say, “Keep doing what you've been doing.” He essentially said, “I don't condemn you. Now leave this life of sin behind.”

That's an important picture of the Gospel. Grace forgives us, but grace also calls us to change. Jesus meets us where we are, but His desire isn't for us to remain there. Confession acknowledges sin. Repentance turns away from it. That doesn't mean a Christian will never struggle, stumble, or need forgiveness again. Spiritual growth is a process, and every believer remains dependent upon God's grace. Living holy, sanctified and set apart is a daily choice for us. That's why Paul said, in the Bible, to crucify the flesh daily!

But there is a difference between struggling against sin and settling into sin. When the Holy Spirit convicts us, our response should be:

“Lord, change me.” David, in the Bible prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew in me a right spirit". - Psalm 51:10

A born-again believer should desire to become more Christlike. As we grow in Him, we begin taking sin more seriously... not because we're trying to earn salvation, but because we love the One who saved us. Living for Christ requires intentionality.

The flesh doesn't naturally want prayer.
The flesh doesn't naturally want fasting.
The flesh doesn't naturally want discipline.
The flesh doesn't naturally want surrender.

That's why Jesus said: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” — Luke 9:23 KJV

There is that word: daily.

We need to pray daily. Stay in the Word. Walk in the Spirit. Listen to the Holy Ghost. Crucify the desires of the flesh. And when we fall, quickly confess it, repent, get back up, and keep following Jesus. THESE ARE DAILY CHOICES TO MAKE.

Sin may offer pleasure for a season, but eventually we have to decide: Do I want what my flesh wants—or do I want Jesus more?

Again, Scripture reminds us that darkness cannot remain hidden forever. So instead of asking, “Will anyone ever find out?”

We should ask: “Is this pleasing to God?”

Instead of worrying about someone discovering our sin, we should be concerned that God already sees it. And yet, what a beautiful truth: the God who sees our sin is also the God standing ready to forgive when we genuinely repent.

His conviction is an invitation.

Come back. Turn around. Lay it down. Get your heart right. Follow Me.

There comes a point when we must stop excusing, hiding, defending, and justifying what God is asking us to surrender. Jesus is coming again. So the question isn't merely, “Do you believe He's coming?” The deeper question is: Are you living like you believe it?

Don't hide what needs to be confessed.
Don't defend what needs to be surrendered.
Don't continue embracing what Jesus is calling you to leave behind.

There are no perfect people reading this—only people who desperately need the grace of God.

I've been there. I've done that. And I'm still growing. But that's the point. We should still be growing. Still changing. Still surrendering. Still becoming more like Jesus.

Because genuine repentance doesn't merely say, “Lord, forgive me.” It also says: “Lord, change me.”
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Suggested Prayer:
"Dear Lord, search my heart and reveal anything in me that isn't pleasing to You. Give me a heart that doesn't excuse or hide sin but quickly confesses and turns from it. Thank You for Your mercy and forgiveness when I repent. Help me crucify my flesh daily, walk in the Spirit, stay in Your Word, and become more like Jesus. Keep my heart ready for Your return. Lord, don't just forgive me but continue to change me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

The Birth of this Blog!

Why A Blog Titled: "Becoming Better Women"?

Back around the last week of October 2017, I had a dream about the acronym "BBW" standing for something profound! I was standing i...