Job 20:12-13
Though evil is sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under
his tongue, though he spares it and does not forsake it,
but still keeps it in his mouth, yet his food in his stomach
turns sour; it becomes cobra venom within him.
Though evil is sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under
his tongue, though he spares it and does not forsake it,
but still keeps it in his mouth, yet his food in his stomach
turns sour; it becomes cobra venom within him.
Have you ever eaten something that tasted so delicious and wonderful you wanted to savor every bite only to make you sick to your stomach later on? I think of the peanut butter salmonella scare we had a couple of years ago. I love peanut butter -- especially as a peanut butter milkshake, or a smoothie made with bananas. As I savored each sip, I had no idea that the result would be severe diarrhea and vomiting for the next two to three days. As my children and I were confined to the floor and couch with sickness all I could say was "the shake was not worth it."
Evil is much like that peanut butter milkshake. It disguises itself as something sweet and enjoyable. As we tantalize ourselves with the thought and rememberance of the sin, we are clueless to the horrible grasp it takes on us. Such tantalizing sins may seem harmless -- Watching a tv program, reading a much too descriptive novel, or even forgoing our offering for the week so that your family has a little extra to spend for recreation. Each of these can be attractive to our fleshly desires. And yet each begins to form ungodly habits in our lives. The tv program lowers our senses and discretion which then turns to watching more ungodly programs. The novel causes us to think more about sex in an unbiblical manner which then could lead to the participation in unsanctioned sex or relationships. And forgoing the offering begins to build a habit of selfishness and forgetting that the money was God's to begin with.
As the sweetness of the sin wears off and we realize our mind is filled with filth, or our marriage is about to end in bitter divorce, we try to realize what happened -- "Where did we go wrong." The answer lies in savoring the sweetness of sin and allowing our bodies to develop a craving for sin that could not be fulfilled.
No Christian is immune to sin. The pull of the flesh can at times seem very strong. However, God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us overcome the flesh, the world, and the devil. Christian, don't fool yourself into believing that you can handle the temptation of sin -- That is how great men have fallen. Turn to God each day to ask Him for the strength and wisdom to identify the mask of sin so that you can walk righteously in this present world.
Evil is much like that peanut butter milkshake. It disguises itself as something sweet and enjoyable. As we tantalize ourselves with the thought and rememberance of the sin, we are clueless to the horrible grasp it takes on us. Such tantalizing sins may seem harmless -- Watching a tv program, reading a much too descriptive novel, or even forgoing our offering for the week so that your family has a little extra to spend for recreation. Each of these can be attractive to our fleshly desires. And yet each begins to form ungodly habits in our lives. The tv program lowers our senses and discretion which then turns to watching more ungodly programs. The novel causes us to think more about sex in an unbiblical manner which then could lead to the participation in unsanctioned sex or relationships. And forgoing the offering begins to build a habit of selfishness and forgetting that the money was God's to begin with.
As the sweetness of the sin wears off and we realize our mind is filled with filth, or our marriage is about to end in bitter divorce, we try to realize what happened -- "Where did we go wrong." The answer lies in savoring the sweetness of sin and allowing our bodies to develop a craving for sin that could not be fulfilled.
No Christian is immune to sin. The pull of the flesh can at times seem very strong. However, God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us overcome the flesh, the world, and the devil. Christian, don't fool yourself into believing that you can handle the temptation of sin -- That is how great men have fallen. Turn to God each day to ask Him for the strength and wisdom to identify the mask of sin so that you can walk righteously in this present world.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are
in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your
faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise
and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
I Peter 1:6-7
in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your
faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise
and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
I Peter 1:6-7
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