April 28
“If you abide in My word then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free….If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:31, 32, 36)
We have been talking about the importance of analyzing our sin patterns so that we can understand exactly when and how we end up sinning. Yesterday we talked about the times that we are deceived by something, some wrong thinking, and how we need God’s truth to see through the deception. Today we will discuss the other side of stumbling, disobedience. Disobedience is when we know full well what the right path is, and we choose the way of sin anyway.
When I disobey I sin because I get from it some passing pleasure, some fleeting thrill, some temporary feeling of release from emotional pain or loneliness. In these types of situations I may be using sin to help medicate or mask my emotional problems, perhaps depression, loneliness, boredom, or the need for stimulation.
Instead of turning to Christ and crying out to Him to work His grace in our hearts and minds and to fill us with His peace, we turn to sin. Or instead of saying “no” to our friends, we choose to be with them rather than with God. We are choosing fellowship with demons and unbelievers over fellowship with God. We are choosing to be filled with the flesh rather than with the Spirit. We are saying “no” to God and “yes” to sin, knowingly and deliberately. Do you see this as a big problem? Do you see this as sin upon sin? Do you see this as evil? Do you ever do this, do you ever choose sin over fellowship with God? Deliberately? Why? What benefit results from this turning away from God?
Pray about this and pray that God would remove from you a stubborn, sin-loving, disobedient heart. Ask Him to give you a heart and soul that only seeks for Him, that loves Him much more than sin, and only seeks to please Him in all that you do. Ask Him to change your heart and help you to mourn over your sin rather than nurture it, to chose Him and the eternal thrill that comes from being close to Him instead of a passing fleshly thrill.
I am by nature a fool. I choose sin instead of God at times. I think of the verse, “Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him,” (Proverbs 27:22) and I think of myself. Sin seems so ingrained in me that I wonder whether I will ever overcome my propensity to choose it. I get discouraged by that thought. If that describes you, if you feel that same way, then be encouraged. You are taking to first steps to realizing the extent of your problem and the extent to which sin has a hold on you. Cry out to God for a pure heart, a new heart, an obedient heart. “All things are possible with God,” so don’t lose heart that God can remove the folly of disobedience from our hearts. But we need to make that a priority and diligently seek it.
Tomorrow we will discuss step 4, formulating a plan for victory.