It is good for every child of God to acknowledge we cannot safely be neutral towards sin in our lives. Imagine if the children of Israel had remained "neutral" towards the existence of Jericho and tried to enter the land of promise! This would not have made the inhabitants of the land supportive, helpful, or friendly. Even a small city like Ai would have grown into a fortified stronghold where the enemy gained strength to subvert the efforts of God's people. To win even a simple game strategy is employed, and the enemy of our souls does not play: he fights for keeps.
Carelessness is a killer. I have a friend whose brother is a hunter and after decades of handling firearms he blew his finger off. My dad, who has been a skilled woodworker for most of his life, pushed the tips of two fingers into a tablesaw. Both of these preventable accidents had life-long physical consequences. I had mowed lawns for decades before my foot slipped under the spinning blades and pulverised my boot (thankfully my foot was fine but the boot was never the same). Sometimes it takes a mistake for us to treat a potentially dangerous tool with the care it warrants. Guns, saws, and spinning blades are obviously dangerous if mishandled, yet the internet and mobile phones are powerful tools which are extremely dangerous to mind and soul without proper safeguards.
We can damage our physical bodies in a moment, but we can also do so through repetitive actions. Sinful thought patterns and looking at lustful images momentarily and over time will do more damage to our mind than a gunshot wound to the hand. Whilst the gunshot wound is obvious and painful, we often do not realise the damage we do to ourselves through feeding the flesh through the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life. We cannot remain neutral towards the things we see as if they do not affect us. We must deal harshly with all which stirs up the flesh and leads to greater sin. In addition to prayer we must cull not only the sin which enters but seal the gaps in our defences. The choice to veer from the path of righteousness for a moment is sin. Sin occurs in the mind and heart often long before we physically act out on it.
Jesus Christ our Saviour has put His foot on the neck of every sin which slinks around in the darkness. There can be no coddling, no mercy shown to sin which grovels, pleads for its life, and makes vain promises like a captured villain deserving of death. In Joshua 10 there were five enemy kings who hid in a cave when their armies were routed. Joshua did not bring them food, water, or blankets with an apology or offer of peace. He commanded these wicked kings to lay on the ground and for his men to place their feet on their necks. Joshua 10:25-26 reads, "Then Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight." 26 And afterward Joshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening." We must be valiant as Joshua was to purge the land of wicked rulers as it concerns our own sin. Christ has struck the killing blow on Calvary, and it is His victory we are enabled to walk in by His grace.
We must declare war on our sin and be neutral no longer, for sin is not neutral towards us. Sensible homeowners will not allow wild rats to breed in their homes without taking action to eradicate them. Remaining "neutral" to a rat invasion leads to damage, disease, and even a home being condemned. If we will take action on a rat we hear chewing and clawing around because of negative potential consequences, how can we remain neutral to sin which leads to death? God forgive me when I have ignored my sin instead of waging war in Christ's name! It is always time to fight for the glory of God - not crusading against unbelieving enemies "out there" but taking up the fight to personally walk victorious in Christ Jesus.
Carelessness is a killer. I have a friend whose brother is a hunter and after decades of handling firearms he blew his finger off. My dad, who has been a skilled woodworker for most of his life, pushed the tips of two fingers into a tablesaw. Both of these preventable accidents had life-long physical consequences. I had mowed lawns for decades before my foot slipped under the spinning blades and pulverised my boot (thankfully my foot was fine but the boot was never the same). Sometimes it takes a mistake for us to treat a potentially dangerous tool with the care it warrants. Guns, saws, and spinning blades are obviously dangerous if mishandled, yet the internet and mobile phones are powerful tools which are extremely dangerous to mind and soul without proper safeguards.
We can damage our physical bodies in a moment, but we can also do so through repetitive actions. Sinful thought patterns and looking at lustful images momentarily and over time will do more damage to our mind than a gunshot wound to the hand. Whilst the gunshot wound is obvious and painful, we often do not realise the damage we do to ourselves through feeding the flesh through the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life. We cannot remain neutral towards the things we see as if they do not affect us. We must deal harshly with all which stirs up the flesh and leads to greater sin. In addition to prayer we must cull not only the sin which enters but seal the gaps in our defences. The choice to veer from the path of righteousness for a moment is sin. Sin occurs in the mind and heart often long before we physically act out on it.
Jesus Christ our Saviour has put His foot on the neck of every sin which slinks around in the darkness. There can be no coddling, no mercy shown to sin which grovels, pleads for its life, and makes vain promises like a captured villain deserving of death. In Joshua 10 there were five enemy kings who hid in a cave when their armies were routed. Joshua did not bring them food, water, or blankets with an apology or offer of peace. He commanded these wicked kings to lay on the ground and for his men to place their feet on their necks. Joshua 10:25-26 reads, "Then Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight." 26 And afterward Joshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening." We must be valiant as Joshua was to purge the land of wicked rulers as it concerns our own sin. Christ has struck the killing blow on Calvary, and it is His victory we are enabled to walk in by His grace.
We must declare war on our sin and be neutral no longer, for sin is not neutral towards us. Sensible homeowners will not allow wild rats to breed in their homes without taking action to eradicate them. Remaining "neutral" to a rat invasion leads to damage, disease, and even a home being condemned. If we will take action on a rat we hear chewing and clawing around because of negative potential consequences, how can we remain neutral to sin which leads to death? God forgive me when I have ignored my sin instead of waging war in Christ's name! It is always time to fight for the glory of God - not crusading against unbelieving enemies "out there" but taking up the fight to personally walk victorious in Christ Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment
To uphold the integrity of this site, no comments with links for advertising will be posted. No ads here! :)