The Seduction of Sin
I'm thinking about the days following the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem.
While many were amazed, excited, and transformed by His arrival, others were angry and fearful as they plotted a course for his demise and destruction.
I often wonder how people who witnessed Jesus Christ face to face could do anything but fall to their knees in awe.
How could they turn on Him?
How could they want to hurt Him?
How could they deny Him?
How could they betray Him?
Such is the seduction of sin.
I can recall the moments when I turned to things I knew I shouldn't be turning to.
It starts out small, just little choices that seem innocent enough.
The lure of sin doesn't pull you in with loud aggression. It's more of a quiet nudging with whispering voices telling you, "It's okay. Everyone else is doing it. You are justified. You should go along with them. It will feel good. Come on, just do it."
The seduction of sin is sneaky in its attempt to persuade us to disobey or go astray with promises of relief, satisfaction, power, or victory.
The lure gently pulls us in; before we know it, SNAP, we're entangled and trapped.
I can look back at my past mistakes and see how I convinced myself that what I was plotting to do was justified. The power of rationalization is no joke.
The people who hurt and betrayed Jesus felt absolutely justified in their actions. They found others who agreed with them, and once they joined together, whispers of justification and darkness grew louder.
Soon, the momentum became so powerful that there was no turning back.
Scary.
We can't turn back time or change history.
But we can learn from these mistakes and be honest with ourselves in our own fights against sin's seduction.
Stop for a moment today and think about what might be trying to lure you in right now. Are you justifying something that will someday ensnare you and eventually cause you to beg for forgiveness?
With God's help and strength, we can silence the voices of rationalization and justification and stop ourselves before it's too late.
God is ready and willing to step in and help us fight so we can return to Him.
Let's turn from this and get back on track.
Who's with me?
James 1: 13-15
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
James 4: 15-17
Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.
Ephesians 2: 1-5
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.