SIN'S DESTRUCTIVE POWER

Those who recall their childhood can admit they did childish things, and many times they did the opposite of what they were told to do. The reality is that human nature resists the will of God, which makes that person vulnerable to sin’s destructive power. A life, not submitted to God always looks for personal and physical needs to be met. An acronym for LIES, is Living In Endless Sin. That is a prison not intended for us.

Scripture teaches that every person is born with a natural inclination to please oneself rather than submit to authority. As noted in Proverbs 22:15, "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away" (ESV). And because of God’s love for us, He will use His rod of discipline when we foolishly rebel against His Word and will.

God is our heavenly Parent who created us and gave us earthly parents to “train us in the way we should go.” However, God, as our Father, will not hesitate to get our attention by using corrective measures to turn us away from destructive behavior before it is too late.

The desire to sin, came from our original parents, Adam and Eve. The secular definition of “sin” is an act, thought, moral undoing, shortcoming, indulgence, or an attitudinal problem. However, God defines sin as:

1. Sins of commission (doing what God forbids). 2. Sins of omission (failing to do what God requires). 3. Any sin that transgresses and rebels against God’s will and authority. 

What are the effects of sin? Sin creates a barrier between us and God’s holiness. Sin causes decline in spiritual and physical health and loss of peace and joy. Sin destroys relationships, and damages marriages, families, friendships, and communities. Sin creates mistrust, selfishness, and hurt. Sin creates psychological and emotional burdens that evolve into selfish or harmful actions. Sin alters the moral compass. Sin rejects God’s truths and His explicit commands. Even though God grants forgiveness, there are consequences for sin. Without repentance, that person will be imprisoned in a destructive cycle. 

Human nature depends on personal knowledge and skills. Though some will seek people who predict the future, it is not possible for any human to know the future. God, alone, knows the future of every person that He created. He also knows the future that Satan planned for each person’s destruction. So, why do so many walk a path that takes them away from God’s guidance? For He said, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

God knows and searches every heart and understands our every desire, thought, and intention. Emotions, fear, anger, excitement, anxiety, or simply wanting what we want, can hijack rational thinking and God’s best for us. Therefore, making decisions when tired, overwhelmed, in doubt, or under stress will create a negative mindset that promotes impulsive choices thereby overriding any God-directed thinking and decisions.

There are many examples in the Old Testament of people who justified their plans and ignored God’s instructions. One powerful example is God’s command to King Saul, through the prophet Samuel, not to plunder things of value and to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites, King Agag (a fierce enemy of Israel), and all their livestock (1 Samuel 15:3).

The danger of human rationalization is that it often contradicts God’s authority and directions. So, Saul’s greed justified the keeping of King Agag, sparing the best sheep and cattle, and retaining valuable possessions. When confronted by the prophet Samuel, Saul defended his actions with a lie, claiming the animals were saved to sacrifice to God. He then cowardly blamed his troops for all that had happened.

This true account reveals that the sin of rebellion always rationalizes decisions that oppose God so that the person can satisfy a carnal desire. Saul’s rejection of God’s orders resulted in God abandoning him in battle and removing his dynasty and kinghip over Israel (1 Samuel 15:26).

Saul’s disobedience led to the Philistines successfully annihilating Saul’s elite forces. To avoid being caught and tortured, Saul fell on his own sword and died. Additionally, that same day, his blatant disobedience caused the deaths of his three sons. This historical event reveals how one person’s disobedience and justification of sin has power to affect other lives.

Saul rejected the Word of the Lord, shifted the blame and suffered terrible consequences. Humans often justify their choices and actions, but when things do not go well, they shift blame to God or others as a defense mechanism.  

The current culture encourages people to “Follow your heart.” The United States and cities around the world are experiencing violent riots in their streets, the burning of buildings and businesses, extreme moral depravity, the dismantling of Christians’ religious freedoms, and killing the innocent as a legitimate right. However, Scripture describes these radical human emotions, desires, and inclinations as deeply flawed, because "the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

God’s Word encourages us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding; in all our ways we are to submit to Him, and He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-7). So, how do we submit to the Lord and trust Him?

Trust requires submitting our will and desires to God and believing He will lead us towards a good outcome. When we trust and delight in the Lord and His Word, He directs our steps and gives us a contented heart (Psalm 37:4).

The Adamic nature wants to follow its own plans and not trust God’s unique plan that He created for each person. His eyes saw our substance, when yet unformed, and in His book, our days were fashioned and written even when there was yet none. How precious also are His thoughts to us. If we could count them, they would be more in number than the sand (Psalm 139:13-19).

Satan’s agenda is to prevent us from receiving what God planned for us. It would benefit us to align our will with God and trust that He has all ability to direct our lives to a place of fulfillment and experiencing joy, peace of mind, and contentment within our soul.

PRAYER: FATHER, my desire is to walk in Your will. If I begin to stray into sins of doubt, unbelief, and rebellion, give me faith and strength to follow Your will and not my own will (Philippians 4:13). In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.