WHEN SIN BECOMES YOUR FRIEND - PART 2

This was first published in January 2014.  Part 1 was posted yesterday.

Recently, discussing a grievous situation with a close friend, I was reminded of the oft repeated saying, “Sin always takes you further than you ever thought you would go and you end up in places you never thought you would be.”  My friend went on to comment, “I think they have fallen in love with sin and I've seen people do that and when they do, they have no conscious whatsoever.”  The next morning, in a semi-conscious state, I heard these words spoken to my spirit, “When sin becomes your friend.”  The words continued to trouble me during devotions and throughout the day as I began to ponder, “How does the friendship begin?”  “What affect does it have?”  “What are the outward manifestations of such a friendship?”  “Where does the friendship take you and how does it end?”

Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall SURELY DIE.”

James 1:1-15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, BRINGS FORTH DEATH.

Searching the Word of God, we find that the end of sin is death but what happens between the First Embrace and the Final Kiss?

SIN SEPARATES - Sin is a jealous friend and demands your full attention.

Although Adam and Eve were not immediately struck dead because of their disobedience, they experienced immediate separation.  The Bible tells us the first thing they realized is that “they were naked.”  Up to this point they were in constant fellowship and clothed in the Glory of God.  Sin immediately separated them from the Glory and Holiness of God.  No longer would they enjoy the familiar daily fellowship with the Creator; no longer would they stroll through the beautiful garden, tending and enjoying its bounty.  Sin had destroyed the innocence and purity and they were cast out of their home and separated from the intimacy of God’s presence. 

Like his parents, Cain did not immediately die for his transgressions but he, too, faced the consequence of separation.  Genesis 4 tells us that Cain “went out from the presence of the Lord.  He became a fugitive and a vagabond.”  

When Sin becomes your friend, it will separate you from close fellowship with God and it will separate you from those who love God and love you.

SIN IS A BETRAYER

  It may begin as a mild flirtation; you pick up the sin, stroke it a few times, then lay it down and move on until you answer its next call.  Soon, however, sin will make its demands and you will become more entangled until you will betray those you love so that sin’s demands can be fulfilled.

 King David didn’t set out to sin; it was just a mild flirtation of the eyes; he lingered a little too long and “desire was conceived.”  It was a sin to bring Bathsheba to his bed, knowing that she was another man’s wife.  But the demand of sin was not satisfied with adultery.  When Bathsheba became pregnant, it was a sin to try to cover it up and pass it off as another man’s child.  But the demand of sin was not satisfied with lying.  Sin became a betrayer.  David betrayed a trusted man of valor in his Army, first by lying with his wife, impregnating her and finally having him murdered.  Sin’s final demand was death. 

When Sin becomes your friend, it may not demand that you become a murderer, but make no mistake, sin will demand betrayal.  It will cause you to betray those things that are pure and lovely, it may demand a cover-up and it will cause you to betray those who love you the most. Sin will hold your hand as you give the “Kiss of Betrayal” because Sin is a Betrayer.

SIN WILL CHANGE YOU.  Proverbs 6:27 Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned?  

Do not fool yourself into believing that you will not be affected by sin. You are NOT strong enough to take the “fire of sin” into your life and not be burned.   Sin will change you; it will change your behavior, your way of thinking, and even change your way of speaking.

 We find Peter, warming himself by the fire, when he is accused of being a follower of Jesus.  This is the same Peter who had walked, talked and dined with Jesus.  He had witnessed the miracles, walked on the water and even followed Him into the garden to pray.  It is the Peter that vowed he would never betray his Lord. Yet, when faced with a trial, a beating and death because of an association, sin changed him into a person he thought he would never become.  After being pointed out as a friend of Jesus, three times, Peter decided to settle the situation once and for all; he changed his speech.  Mark 14:71 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!”

Friendship with sin will take you places you never thought you would go and they won’t seem so bad.  Your speech will turn from things that are pure and lovely to those things which are base and gutter-like.   When sin becomes your friend, evil will seem good and good will seem evil because Sin will change you!!

When Sin becomes your friend, the end result is death but the good news is the friendship can be broken.  It does not have to become a “lifelong” partnership.  

Romans 5:19  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

God already had a plan in place before the first sin.    The plan was JESUS.  He was the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  Death does NOT have to be the final sentence; through Jesus Christ we can have eternal life.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You can become a “Friend of God.”

WHEN SIN BECOMES YOUR FRIEND - PART 1

FIRST PUBLISHED JANUARY 2104 - Part 1

Part 1 of this blog was birthed through many tears and from words God spoke to my spirit early one morning between slumber and awaking.  I have had to pause and weep many times as I write, for the many dear ones who have locked hands with sin and cannot see the ever-tightening chains that surround them.  Part 2 will be posted tomorrow.

Genesis 3:8 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.

Every child who has sat in Sunday School knows the story of Adam, Eve and the “apple.”  They can tell you that God said they were not supposed to eat of the tree, the serpent told Eve it was ok, she wouldn’t really die, Eve ate the fruit, gave it to Adam, he ate and they realized they were naked. 

But is that really what happened?  

Did Eve accidently pass the tree one day; listen to a snake and think, “Why not?”  I believe there is much more to the “first sin” scenario then most of us think.  Look at your own life.  Have you ever just accidently or impulsively sinned?  Or did it involve a process, over time?  Was sin allowed to become your friend?

James 1:1-15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

In my mind, the first “sin” scenario went something like this.  Every day, Eve would stroll through the garden, tending to it and admiring God’s handiwork.  When she came to the tree in the middle of the garden, Eve would linger, admiring its perfectly formed leaves, its luscious hanging fruit, and inhaling its enticing aroma. After lingering day after day, the aroma prompted her mind to imagine how sweet just one bite would taste and her body began to desire fulfillment.  You will notice she hadn’t touched the forbidden yet, because when the serpent tried to twist God’s command, Eve told him, “God said we should not even touch the tree.”  Over months of lingering, desire was conceived and sin was birthed.  Sin had become her friend.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

 Once Adam and Eve “opened the door,” sin entered the world and has affected every person since that time.  For the first family, it didn’t take long for friendship with sin to manifest itself in their children.  Genesis 4 speaks of a time when Cain brought a sacrifice to the Lord but instead of the “blood” sacrifice required by the Lord, Cain brought the fruit of his own labors; crops he had tended.  We aren’t given much information as to why Cain refused to bring a blood sacrifice, maybe he didn’t want to deal with the messiness involved in sacrificing a lamb, perhaps the crops he had tended grew especially well and with pride he presented what “HE had accomplished” to God or maybe he just didn’t believe it really mattered as long as he gave God something.  We do know, however, that God did not accept this offering from Cain and Cain allowed anger to consume him.  God tells Cain to not be angry but just do the “right” thing.  Then God says something very interesting…

Genesis 4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

God told him, “Sin desires to be your friend, but if you refuse its friendship, rule over it and offer the sacrifice I desire, I will accept you.” The sad end to this part of the story is that Sin became Cain’s friend.

I was reminded by a dear friend of the old saying, “Sin always takes you further than you ever thought you would go and you end up in places you never thought you would be.”  Sin does not become just a “casual” friend, content to share a cup of coffee every few years, just to “catch up.”  No, Sin will not be satisfied until it is your ONLY friend, consuming your time, your desires and your will.

 Sin puts on a beautiful façade, luring and enticing until you embrace and take hold of its hand.  Before long you notice that Sin never leaves your side as you stroll down its wide smooth path.  It continues to surround you, until you become entangled and inseparable; its thoughts become your thoughts; its desires, your desires; its will, your will…

Sin has become your friend!

Tomorrow-part 2

REPENT AND REPLACE

Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them.

Since the beginning of the year, I have battled a spirit of depression, despondency, and even despair that anything will ever change in my life.  I like being HAPPY and this IS NOT a HAPPY PLACE to live.  Finally, sick of myself, I did the very thing that I should have done two weeks ago; I took all of these unwanted feelings to Jesus.

In my “secret place” of prayer, I began to pour out my heart, my hurts, my complaints and all my unhappiness regarding my situation.  GOD IS A GOOD LISTENER, but He doesn’t just listen, He speaks.  Now it was my turn to listen to that still small voice that whispered, “Susan, it is time to REPENT and REPLACE.”  So I did!!!

I REPENTED; turned away from the SPIRIT OF UNTHANKFULNESS toward all the good things God has provided.  I turned away from the SPIRIT OF SELFISHNESS; concentrating so much on my desires, my needs, my wants and their lack of fulfillment. I turned away from the SPIRIT OF DESPONDENCY and forgetting that MY JOY is not found in my circumstance but in Jesus Christ, His sacrifice for me and WHO I AM IN HIM.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

In the Bible the word REPENT means “to change one’s mind.”  Romans 12 states that we can be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of our minds.  Well I definitely needed my mind RENEWED and my spirit TRANSFORMED….BUT HOW????  I can REPENT but I cannot RENEW or TRANSFORM my mind; that is a necessary action that can only take place by allowing the Holy Spirit to take its RIGHTFUL PLACE.

Now comes the second part of the solution, whispered to my heart; REPLACE.  You see when the Holy Spirit is in residence on the throne of your heart, there is no room for any little spirits.  I had allowed the inferior spirits of self, ungratefulness, unhappiness and envy to slowly nudge the Holy Spirit out of its rightful place and it was time to RE-PLACE.

RE-PLACE –To put back that which has been removed, taken down or usurped. (my word; my definition).

If it seems, like me, that lately all is NOT RIGHT with your world and the spirit of heaviness envelopes you with a dense fog that messes with your mind, it is time to REPENT and RE-PLACE.  Allow the Holy Spirit to return to its RIGHTFUL PLACE, shedding its light in the darkness and renewing your mind with clarity.  The clarity to say with Nehemiah, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

Isaiah 12:3 Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

WHEN DO I GET MINE?

“I am so tired”, I cried during my morning devotions. “I can’t take another whiner”, I whined. “Where’s mine?” “When do I ever get some?” My kids won’t listen to me, the neighbor didn’t wave, our congregation is getting smaller and even the dog is sick. It sounds so childish and petty on paper, but this was my prayer, as tears ran down my face. It had been one of those weeks. Starting Monday morning at the Rescue Mission, I had delivered a message of encouragement, prayed and talked with people who are in unimaginable situations; every email was about someone needing prayer and the problems they were facing, every phone call was a downer.

The most dangerous time of the race had occurred.

Fatigue had set in; I had hit the wall. This is the time when it is more attractive to quit then continue to victory. Believe me, the thought ran through my head. It seemed every time I tried to encourage one, two more needing encouragement popped up. “Lord, could you please put it in someone’s heart to call me?” A “thinking of you” email would be nice. Maybe there is someone besides Mom who woke up with me on their mind. But there were no phone calls, no pick-me-up emails, not even a card in the mail. Fortunately, I lingered in “prayer” that morning and God is always faithful.

That still small voice began to trickle through the self-pity. God reminded me that all He has is mine. Why would He send a substitute to bless and encourage me, when I can walk right in to the throne room for a personal audience with the King? Once again I felt that warm, comforting presence that only God can give. As I lingered in His embrace, the tears continued to flow, but this time they were a cleansing force, my praise overrode the whining and gratefulness filled my heart.

If you are feeling a little ignored today or feel like it’s time you “got yours,” remember “yours” comes straight from the Father. He loves you so much that a middle-man isn’t good enough to deliver your blessing.