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When Sin Presents Itself
Everyday, in our Christian walk, we face some kind of temptation. It can be something that seems little, lying to a parent or teacher, or something that seems big, like lust, greed, envy, etc. We have a choice every day if we are going to follow Christ or if we are going to follow the ways of this world.
The Bible says that the flesh wars against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). I believe we all want to do what’s right, but our flesh cries out, and yearns for that forbidden fruit. If Adam and Eve, who walked with God and had everything they ever needed given to them, couldn’t resist, what makes us think that we will be able to?
It is by grace that we are saved. His grace covers a multitude of sins. That doesn’t give us the right to sin, but it gives us the opportunity to come back to Christ when we do. I’ve had many missteps along the way in my Christian walk as I’m sure we all have. When I do find myself doing something I know is wrong, I have to choose to stop, ask God for forgiveness and then turn away from that sin.
What do we do “When Sin Presents Itself” to us? I want us to take a look at three examples in the Bible of certain people dealing with that very question.
We’ll start off with the life of Joseph. Here was a man of honor and integrity. Although he was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery and separated from his family, he never left his faith in God. There was a point in his life when he was given much responsibility in the house of Potiphar. Potiphar trusted Joseph with everything he had. This is when the opportunity to sin showed up in Joseph’s life. Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph and force him to lay with her. What did Joseph do in this situation? He ran. (Genesis 39)
In some situations, when sin presents itself, we need to do just like Joseph did and run. Don’t stay in a place where you will be overcome with temptation. If you can’t go to a party without getting drunk, then don’t go to the party in the first place. If you can’t hang out with certain friends without getting into trouble, then don’t hang out with them in the first place. The Bible says that with every temptation God always makes a way of escape.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
The second person in the Bible is a man named Phinehas. He was known as one who was zealous for the honor of the Lord. The Israelites at this time began to indulge in sexual immorality with the Moabite women and started worshiping their gods. God was not pleased so God ordered Moses to kill all the men that worshiped these false gods. At that time an Israelite brought a Moabite woman into the midst of Moses and the whole assembly and took her into the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas saw this he took his spear and thrust it through both the man and the woman and the plague against Israel was stopped. (Numbers 25)
Sometimes we need to stand up to sin and conquer it. We need to put an end to it before it corrupts us and everyone else around us. Phinehas took a stand against those that were mocking God with their sinful acts. By killing sin on the spot, Phinehas brought atonement for the Israelites. We need to have that zeal so that when sin comes into our lives we can stop it then and there.
And lastly, I look to the life of David. He is known as a man after God’s own heart. We go to a point in his life, though, where he had sinned against the Lord by getting Bathsheba, a married woman, pregnant and then trying to cover up his sin by killing her husband. This was a low point in David’s life. He was ashamed of what he had done. After Samuel the prophet came to him and revealed the sin to David, he was full of remorse and cried and begged God for forgiveness. (2 Samuel 11-12)
If we do fall into sin, once we do realize our sin, we must go to God with a repentant heart. Our God is just and able to forgive us if we come to Him. We must be like David and come with true repentance. We have a loving God. Though we may fall seven times, He is there to pick us up eight. And if we fall once more, He’s right there to help get us up again.
So, next time “When Sin Presents Itself” to you, you need to run from it, conquer it or repent from it and turn from it.
James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
w/muchluv,
geno
19 Days to Christmas!!!!!!!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!
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