Are you letting sin creep in your life?
Sin! The big “S” word that no one likes to talk about. Sin is everywhere in the world and you know what the scary part is? Sin is becoming normal and even accepted.
Newsflash! Sin has been around since the beginning of time. All the way back when the snake tricked Eve into eating from the tree and all sin was revealed. Sin isn’t going anywhere. As long as there are people on this earth there will be sin. In the words of Si Robertson “That’s a fact, Jack.” Sin is in work places, school, homes and even in some of the churches. No one is exempt from sin but the real question is….
If sin is literally everywhere how can we keep it from creeping in our lives?
That question right there should be what every Christian is wondering. If sin is all around me how am I supposed to keep from sinning. Let me start by saying no one and I mean no one, except for Jesus himself is perfect. We accidently sin sometimes and don’t even realize we are doing it. We may say something bad about someone without meaning to or tell a little white lie but even those small things are still sin. Our society has us believing that there are big sins and little sins and that simply isn’t true. That is a big ol’ lie. According to the bible sin is sin. From a little white lie to murder it is all the same to God. I think that is what makes it so hard to understand. We see murder as awful which it absolutely is but then we see a little lie no big deal. Here is what we forget. That one little lie can turn into another lie and then another bigger lie and before you know it you are constantly lying all the time like it is no big deal. At this point we have let sin into our lives and don’t even feel guilty about it.
1. Stay away from sin
As Christians we have to try our absolute best to keep sin from creeping in our life if we want to go to heaven some day. Keeping sin out can be hard because the devil will tempt you but God will help you be strong if you just ask him.
Stay away from things that cause you to sin: That seems like a pretty easy concept but it isn’t always easy. Let’s say that you have a friend who is always wanting to gossip. They are always talking about people and being negative and trying to start rumors. When you hang out with them your mind is constantly being filled with “trash” and before you know it BAM! you are telling someone else the rumor that was just told to you. You are gossiping and you don’t even realize you are doing it until the damage has been done.
I want to be honest with you all. Gossiping is one of my down falls. It is where I fall short. I’m not one to tell gossip that I hear but I am very guilty of sitting and listening to it and getting way to wrapped up in the details of something that may not even be true. In all reality what I should do is just get up and walk away from these conversations and I know sometimes we get stuck and can’t leave the room in the middle of a meeting or something like that but there are other things we can do. We can sit there and look on our phones or we can pray for the people instead of intently listening to the “stories” or even ask questions that are simply none of our business. Don’t get wrapped up in these things. Trust me stay away from it and you will be better off.
2. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch
I know that most people have heard this saying. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. We may think it sounds crazy but it is absolutely true. You can let the wrong person in your life and before you know it sin is creeping in to your life.
Here is an example: Lets say you are dating a guy who isn’t a Christian. He is a good guy and you really love him and all the sudden one day he wants to be intimate with you. You know that doing these things before marriage is wrong but you are afraid he will leave you or he convinces you that you will be together forever and that he loves you and you will be married one day anyways. You fall for his lies even though deep down you know it is wrong. You have then tainted your pure soul. You ask God to forgive you but then he ask for it again and you do it. The world doesn’t see anything wrong with it. People do it all the time but you still know it is wrong. This is the part when it gets scary though. You keep doing the sin and then you don’t even feel guilty about doing it anymore. It just becomes a natural part of your life and you get to where you don’t even realize it is sin because no one sees it as wrong. Your boyfriend doesn’t, society doesn’t and now you don’t. At this point you have let sin in your life. You have put a barrier between you and God.
3. If your ok with one sin it makes it easier to commit more sins
I have seen it time and time again. You commit one sin and then another and another and before you know it you are sinning all the time and have a distant or non existent relationship with God. All sin does is put you farther away from God. Sin may feel good for a season but when your relationship with God is basically gone you are left feeling empty and living with false happiness. You are living a life of lies and have compromised who you really are.
4. What we need to do.
We all fall short in our lives and we all sin but what we do after we sin determines who we are. We can do 1 or 2 things. We can do the right thing which is repent and ask for God’s forgiveness and do our very best to not sin again. We can surround ourselves with good people, we can read our Bible, we can attend church and we can try our best to stay away from sin. OR we can do the wrong thing. We can keep sinning and keep doing those sins with the mentality that God will forgive us anyways. WE CANNOT DO #2! That is not the right choice. That will put you farther and farther away from God and put you on a dangerous path.
Hebrews 10:26 says this, for if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.
That verse right there should make you stop and think. If we keep sinning over and over again not only does it put your farther away from God but it upsets God. It makes him sad when his children do things he clearly ask them not to. God can and will forgive sin but it says it right here. When you do sin over and over and you do it willfully knowing its wrong then is there no more sacrifice for that sin. Just think about that for a minute. How awful and scary is that?
My hope and prayer for Christians
My hope and prayer is that Christians wake up and stop this cycle of sin. Stop letting sin in your life. Stop accepting sin as being ok because its not. I heard a preacher once say that it is our jobs as Christian to confront other Christians who are sinning and tell them it is wrong. We aren’t supposed to do that to sinners because they aren’t held under the same standards as Christians because they have not invited God into their lives yet but if you are a Christian you should be acting like one and living for God. Don’t let sin creep in and ruin your relationship with God. Don’t be the of the world be Christ like.
Ephesians Chapter 5 gives us a clear picture of what we should stay away from and how Christians should act.
5 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
