It started right there in the garden. The serpent tempted Eve with a thought, “Did God really say …?” The first step in his deception was to get her to doubt God and he’s still whispering the same question today. What is he tempting you to doubt?
But God didn’t give up on mankind. His response provides hope to us all. And in the next chapter of Genesis, He counseled a young man. Could that counsel be something you need to hear?
Also read about the murder of dozens of innocent babies by a jealous, paranoid king, the danger of thinking we’re smarter than God, the importance of honoring parents, and some examples of fulfilled prophecy.
God does not want us ignorant of the process of sin. He shows us how, like a fisherman, the devil offers us the bait and how it connects with desires in our own hearts. God has clearly explained this process of sin so we can avoid being ensnared. But would you recognize it, if it was happening to you? Or could you be nibbling on some temptation designed just for you? And could he be about to reel you in?
Sadly, that is the perception of many. But growing in holiness is not becoming a dry, boring, legalistic fuddy-duddy. Rather, growing in holiness is to have the peace and joy that all of us want in our lives. It’s to become more like Christ, to have the wisdom to live a God-honoring life, to make wise decisions, and to avoid painful consequences. It’s to shine the light of a life well-lived in a dark world.
If that’s true, shouldn’t we all want to grow in holiness? If so, how do we do it?
And by contrast, how do some people end up pulled down into so much darkness? How does a habitual liar become one or some other life-dominating sin become a way of life? How does a truly evil person become that way?
“I’ll just sin now and ask for forgiveness later.” Have you ever been tempted with that thought?
The deceitfulness of sin tells us that we can go ahead and sin even though we know it’s wrong, then we can ask God to forgive us and that’s all there is to it! But that’s rebellion against God and you can’t be both rebellious (determined to go your own way) and repentant (turning to go God’s way) at the same time. But there’s an even bigger problem with this kind of thinking. What is it?
Also, in today’s post, read about chocolate-covered dirt, foolish talk, and dirty jokes.
Even if something is not a sin, in and of itself, if we believe it is and do it anyway, it reveals a heart that is willing to sin against God and therefore sinful. That willingness can cause us a great deal of unrest emotionally and spiritually. Could it actually lead to “apparently uncaused fear and anxiety” such as panic attacks that so many people experience today?
Also, read about:
What Job had to say about living right in light of all His suffering.
The only question that will matter when we stand before God.
Why we should sing “a new song” and why we need to be careful with the songs and prayers we love the most.
Do your kids know your testimony, not just the parts you use to point out why they’re ungrateful or what would have happened to you if you had talked like that to your parents? Many of us would probably say, “no.”
Perhaps, we should remember that the Bible shows us the people in its pages, even those greatly used by God, with all their warts, sins, and shortcomings. It, also, shows us the consequences they faced as a result. Their stories serve as warnings to us and, ultimately, point us to the grace of God.
Those of us who are parents often pray our children will avoid the mistakes we’ve made and not suffer the same consequences. But do we share our testimonies with them? When we humbly share what God has done in our lives, it can open the door to real conversation.
But there are a couple of cautions in doing so. One is a wisdom issue and the other can cause all our talk and warnings to backfire.
Are “little white lies” really little? Though they sometimes seem harmless, even necessary, what if God dealt with little white lies, in the same way this Sunday as He did with Ananias and Sapphira? Would you and I still be left standing?
Why did God deal so decisively, some might say harshly, with Ananias and Sapphira? Why would He care so much about a little white lie? What has changed today, if anything? And could this be a reason for the lack of power in our lives, our churches, and the spiritual condition of those who call themselves Christians? These are important questions, ones we shouldn’t brush aside.
The Disciples still didn’t get it! While Jesus was preparing Himself for the reality of the cross they were squabbling about their future positions in the kingdom, bragging about how they would never let Him down, and sleeping when He asked them to pray. I wonder how many times they looked back on those moments and believed they had failed God.
How about you? Do you ever feel like you have failed God? Maybe you promised to never again fall into some old sin habit. Instead, you found yourself arguing with your husband, yelling at your kids, missing your quiet time, and giving up in discouragement. If so, you’re not alone.
Are you playing around with some sinful thought or thinking about something from your past that you shouldn’t? Sin is not something to be played with. In our pride, we think we can handle it and it won’t get a hold on us. But sin has invisible hooks that can drag us down and take us places we never intended to go.
And sin doesn’t just hurt us personally. It always affects others, especially those closest to us. Today we’ll see the effects of polygamy and a lack of parental and priestly discipline. But we’ll also see the faithfulness of God in the life of one godly woman.
The effects of rejecting God’s authority and its resulting spiritual darkness are not pretty. As one sin leads to another, the results are sad, costly, and damaging. The book of Judges ends with some truly bizarre examples.
But as bizarre as those true stories are, in reality, they could be taken from today’s headlines. Our news is full of murder, even mass murder, sexual immorality, sex trafficking, abortion rights, and demands that we give approval to every sinful lifestyle. I’m not sure where the bottom of it all will be, but just as He did in Noah’s day and just as He did with the Israelites, God will one day say … enough! In the meantime, what should we be doing?
