In the words of 19th-century Scottish minister and author George MacDonald, To be right with God is to be right with the universe: one with the power, the love, the will of the mighty father, the cherisher of Joy, the Lord of laughter, whose are all glories, all hopes, who loves everything and hates nothing but selfishness.
Satan knows the sins we can resist in our strength and doesn’t waste his time with them. So, we can know that every temptation we face is one we cannot defeat without God’s help. However, part of Satan’s tempting strategy is to entice us to fight temptation in our ability. He drags us into the quicksand an inch at a time until we are in too far to escape.
What is the answer, then, to “secret” sins?
Why does the devil love to use “secret” sins? Because he knows what they do to us: “desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:15). And he knows that any sins, known by others or not, are enough to grieve and “quench” the Holy Spirit’s work in and through our lives in the world (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19).
Yesterday we noted that “the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:11). Here is what he does not “take pleasure in”: the sin of presumption. Today’s stories illustrate the biblical precept, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1). Scripture warns, “No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8).
By my Cuban friend’s logic, if Christians are not blessing the world, how can God bless our nation? If he cannot, how long can a holy God delay his judgment on America? I am not attempting to predict his timetable (Matthew 24:36), but we must not presume on his grace (2 Peter 3:9-10).
Former polemics blogger and pastor Jordan "JD" Hall has been removed from membership at his church, Fellowship Baptist Church in Sidney, Montana, for "failure to demonstrate repentance for sins."
The idea that we can only accomplish our goals by sinful means is a lie, and in the rare instances where it’s not, that should be a flashing neon sign that those are not goals worth pursuing. After all, Satan has zero interest in blessing you unless doing so will drive you further from the Lord. He is and always will be “a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour,” and the fastest way to end up as one of his meals is by believing the lie that any sin is worth what it will cost in the end (1 Peter 5:8).
Pastor Jordan Daniel "JD" Hall has been removed from Fellowship Baptist Church in Sidney, Montana due to an allegation of "serious sin."
An Alabama church’s Scripture-inspired sign about the sin of pride has sparked a backlash by some who believed it was targeting LGBT Pride Month.
I plan to focus tomorrow on practical ways to “concentrate” on God so fully that we find victory over “besetting” sins and thus become catalysts for spiritual renewal in our broken culture. For today, let’s close by choosing to take these sins to Jesus in the knowledge that only he can give us the victory we need.
