Nena Arias | April 1, 2019
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. (James 1:13)An undeniable fact of all humans is that we are sinners. “[A]s it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one’” (Romans 3:10). This is why everyone who wants to get rid of their sin must ask God’s forgiveness and turn from their wicked ways. The sooner we accept the fact that we are sinners and learn how to overcome it in our lives from the root cause, with God’s help, the better off we will be. Justifying our shortcomings and transgressions is the worst thing we can do to ourselves, because sin corrodes us from within. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
Most of us will not go out and rob a bank, or commit murder, but subtle sins are the ones we can carry everywhere without anyone noticing. Those sins can be hidden from human eyes for a long time, but that sin is always known to us and it will not remain hidden indefinitely. “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23)
The truth is that sinful behaviors are developed in us over time, they do not suddenly appear overnight. They require nurturing, cultivation and practice and they grow in all of the areas of life like lofty goals, personal habits, friendships, entertainment, food and all other things that we invest ourselves in that we think define us.
Even the good things that are gifts from God are to be enjoyed, but if we are not careful to keep our priorities straight, those gifts can become our priority, rather than God. We especially need to guard ourselves from the things that we don’t feel threatened by; the things we feel so pleased and comfortable with can take over our lives and we become negligent and complacent and leave God out. Our relationship with him is most important for our life to come to fruition here on earth but also prepare us for the afterlife. Many times, the greatest danger comes from good things we become too engrossed in. God loves us too much to let us go astray with false crutches. He wants us to focus on a true source of strength and not imitations, so he will have to remove those false dependencies. These can be a husband, wife, friend, mother, father, a pastor or mentor. It can also be material possessions, wealth, physical looks, social status and even a college degree that we think shows everyone who we are and what we are worth. Too easily, we fall into idolatrous behaviors without even realizing it.
God loves us too much to let us deceive ourselves and lose our souls in the end. Subtleties and good intentions can pave the way into eternal damnation. Free yourself here and now. Decide today to be led by the Holy Spirit, read the Bible every day and apply it to your life so you can be rooted and grounded in God’s word. Pray and firmly decide to keep yourself free from sin and walking in God’s will for your life.