I missed a few days. I was out of the area on a trip with my wife. Glad to be back, and in a good routine again.
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Today’s free excerpt from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” is about thinking that one sin won’t hurt us too much. The truth is that it is just a stepping stone to big problems.
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The book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” reaches out to those who may be suffering from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, or the many other usual suspects.
There is a special sale going on right now, for this book, in the bookstore. You can go up to the top of this page, and click on “Bookstore,” to see the special deal. There is a $6.00 savings right now.
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Chapter 38
Give Sin an Inch, and It Will Become the Ruler
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
The boy had been a loyal member of his church, and he loved the Lord. One day he was with some of his school buddies, who offered him some marijuana. He said no. His friends said he should try it just once—it won’t hurt him. They told him people even use it for medicinal purposes. He decided it wouldn’t hurt just to try it once to impress his friends.
To shorten this story, in many cases, this young man goes on to try more marijuana and eventually experiments with much more dangerous drugs. He may also need to find ways to get the money he needs to keep his habit going. The story could end with his eternal death if he never has a close encounter with God along the way.
It is so easy to give in and just try one sin—just “one little one.” But one sin leads to another, and another, and another!
Inch by inch, anything can happen. We can be closer to the Lord, inch by inch, if we take a little time each day to read the Bible. If we also take time and pray to Him for strength, we’ll be much less prone to wander away from Him.
It’s sort of like lifting weights to get in shape. If we spend just twenty minutes a day working out, we will be in very good shape. Watch our diet as well and we’ll be healthy. We’ll be spiritually healthy if we spend time each day with the Lord, getting nourished by His Word and exercising our spiritual muscles in prayer.
Instead of giving sin an inch, our desire needs to be to “inch” toward what should be the most important goal in our lives: to be strong in our love for the Lord and to be in spiritual shape Him.
No one can say they are in perfect spiritual shape—not even the “best” Christian you know—at least, not this side of heaven. There will always be times when we have sinful desires. There will always be temptation. But we can make wise choices by avoiding unnecessary temptations. (Sort of like not stocking the cupboards with cookies and candy when you want to cut back on calories.)
As long as we are in our earthly bodies, we will wrestle with Satan, who is fighting to control us. He lost ground when we accepted God’s salvation and he wants that territory back!
When we allow God to renew our minds because we constantly think about Him and His Word, our minds will eventually be renewed with the truth. However, it is a lifelong process—not a one-time, done deal.
Galatians5:16says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Notice it doesn’t say the desires aren’t there. It doesn’t say they will go away. We will always be battling the desires of our body—even as a believer. Even though Satan may be battling even harder to regain his lost turf, as believers, we have the Holy Spirit inside us to do battle with us.
To walk in the Spirit, we need to pray for the Holy Spirit to protect us 24/7. He is always there to comfort and give us strength.
Don’t let Satan have an inch. Measure (sorry for the pun) each thing you do and don’t lengthen (I did it again) your time spent in sin.
This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Jeremiah 6:16
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5
Further Adventures
We see it in the news all the time: People who seemed wonderful to those around them have gone in the wrong direction. We hear so many times of a high school student everyone thought “had it all together” who takes his own life and/or the lives of others around him.
Use this to realize that it is so easy to “slide” away from reality—and into sin—without those around you aware of it. Stay with God; He will keep you on track.
Something to Ponder
Isn’t it funny how it’s not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight; it’s those who obey the law that will be declared righteous?
