Lock the door.
Sometimes that’s enough. Tell sin no, and don’t answer when it comes to call.
I can’t party with you tonight.
I no longer do your drug of choice.
I can’t ride in the car alone with you.
My email is private … and my spouse is allowed to look.
Other times, we’re tempted to leave the back door unlocked. We’ve told sin no, but we still find it fascinating. We don’t mind whispering through the screen. If we just talk, it’s not really sin … is it?
Psalm 66:18 tells us:
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
The key word in this verse is cherished.
If I stood at the back door and whispered to sin or …
… stood outside and envied the party.
… longed for the drug.
… took that ride.
… sent that email that violates my marriage vows …
If we slip up, God understands. If we miss what God took us out of, if we look forward to our wrongdoing, if we live a consistently sinful lifestyle, then we have a problem.
Why should we be surprised when God doesn’t hear our prayers? We must shut out the sin, totally, completely, not even keep the key.
God has set our standard. We must strive to meet it. When we miss the mark, he expects us to confess and forsake the wrongdoing as soon as it comes to our attention.
Righteousness is our goal. To aim for less is to miss the mark.
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