Unfortunately, our struggle with sin doesn't go on hiatus when we open God's Word to preach. Even in the pulpit, we are susceptible to failings like anger, doubt, exaggeration, and vanity. When we realize we've stumbled into unholiness while preaching the holy Word of a holy God, it's a heart-sinking moment. So what should we do when it happens?

Pray during the pauses

One thing we can do if we sin during a sermon is offer a confession during the pauses. A simple "I'm sorry" in our hearts will suffice to bring us to a place of openness before God, especially in circumstances where the offense is real but not public.

One Sunday my eyes landed on someone, and my mind intentionally dragged up evil thoughts about that person. The Spirit convicted me instantly. It wouldn't have been appropriate to draw attention to my sin, yet I knew I needed to deal with it. I wrapped up my current thought as best I could and paused before going on. During those few seconds, I confessed my sin to God in the ...