Growing In Faith
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Posted: May 6, 2023
Author: Kerry Lytle Matthew 26:41, English Standard Version "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” |
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Have you ever noticed that sin has a way of hiding its price tag? Sin is ashamed to tell you up front what you will have to pay. When you pay for what sin sells, you will pay more than you thought and you will pay longer than you expected.
Every one of us has either said it, or heard it said… “How long do I have to pay for my mistakes?” If we would have known the price for our sins, we wouldn’t have been so interested to start with.
Sin always hides the price tags.
But, there is hope, God gives us tools, so we are not so easily fooled by the deception of the enemy. We can use these same tools to help us overcome habitual sin that can entrap us. Paul writes about this. Ephesians 6.10-12 (ESV) "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."
God wants us to rely on Him and not ourselves, and the rest of Ephesians 6 describes the armor of God. The Lord calls us to be people of faith to protect us from the arrows of the enemy. In addition, the Lord wants us to seek Him in prayer as we praise Him and ask for wisdom.
Sin can certainly be attractive and pleasurable. After all, the writer of Hebrews refers to “the pleasures of sin”.
As followers of Christ we can so readily be seduced by the attractiveness of sin. And as faithful followers of Christ we must always be on our guard against this seduction.
Sadly, a few moments of sinful pleasure is often exchanged for a lifetime of sorrow, scars and regret. Dabbling in sin can lead us where we never intended to go, hold us much longer than we ever planned to stay and hurt more people than we could ever have imagined.
Consider the wonderful joy and lasting pleasures in living for Christ. Psalm 16:11 (ESV) says, “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." Let us resist the passing “pleasures of sin” and fully embrace the “eternal pleasures” extended to us by our loving Father!
Sin can certainly be attractive and pleasurable, but it’s always deadly. The choice before us: pleasures for a season or pleasures for all eternity.
