Resist


Sin. No one likes to admit or even speak of it. The idea of original sin raises much debate too. Simply put, sin is anything that separates us from God. The other thing about sin is that it usually looks so appealing, in the short term. Living in an instant gratification type world, sin is even more appealing.

Lately, I have been getting a little discouraged with my journey to better health. The scale has been stuck in the same place for a while and Satan has used that discouragement and the temptation of temporary pleasure to pull me off track. I can feel him nudging me and saying “c’mon, a candy bar won’t hurt, you’ve been so good.” He is sneaky that way, one candy bar won’t hurt but my problem is that one leads to two which leads to three and so on until I have binged and the scale has moved… the wrong direction. Please, do not misunderstand me; I am not saying candy in itself is sinful, nor is being overweight. But it is a slippery slope for me to glide right into poor health, making me unable to tend to the things of God. (This is my personal battle, your’s is probably something different.)

As for original sin, consider this; have you ever had to teach a child to be naughty? No, we have to teach them how to behave and be good citizens, being naughty comes naturally to all of us. It is the path of least resistance.

James 4:7,8a “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded..”

We will never be perfect here on earth. Yet, that shouldn’t stop us from trying to do our best. What do you need to resist today? What does your slippery slope look like? Do you know? Maybe it’s gossip or being judgmental of others or turning a blind eye to a need you can do something about.

The great news is that forgiveness is there for the asking. To truly “repent” means to turn around, turn away from what one is doing and go the other way and the other way means toward God. Just like the above verse says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
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