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The Sin that so Easily Entangles Us

4/2/2013

2 Comments

 
Do you ever feel like every time you try to follow God's will for your life, you are immediately tempted?  I know I do.  It seems that virtually every time I finally get back on track with what God wants for me, I am tempted immediately and almost inevitably fall into sin.  This is a bit embarrassing for me to admit, but I normally don't even last one temptation before I fall back into the "sin that so easily entangles" me (Hebrews 12:1).  After this happens I am normally so ashamed of my sin that I feel that I cannot even "face God" that day, so I skip my prayer and Bible study.  The next day the sin is even easier to commit, so I do it.  But then, of course, I can't look God in the eye yet again so I avoid Him at all costs.  This then becomes a daily habit and then I am back to where I started.  Has this ever happened to you?
Why does this happen?  Why are we so easily drawn into sin?  Why is it then, in turn, we feel as though God will be somehow angry with us and won't want to talk to us? How can we let this happen?
I don't have the answers to most of these questions.  Actually, I really don't have the answers to any of these questions.  What I do have is the Bible, which gives many answers to these questions, along with my own personal experiences.  First, and most importantly, I believe following what Jesus told his disciples at Gethsemane is the best way God has given us to defeat sin.  In Matthew 26:41, Jesus says, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Jesus pretty much hits the nail on the head there.  My spirit wants to follow God and do His will, but my flesh is paper thin.  Therefore, the way that Jesus tells us to overcome this problem is by watching Him (studying the life of Jesus) because He was sinless on this earth, and prayer.  In Hebrews 2:18, the author speaks of Jesus' temptation when he writes, "For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."  You see, Jesus was without sin, not without temptation.  Because He was tempted and overcame it, he can help us to overcome it too.  When temptation comes our way, if we do those two things, God will help us overcome it.
Other scriptures have great insights into temptation as well.  In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  This passage is very encouraging to me, because I often forget that our enemy is not allowed to do anything without God allowing him to.  This means that whatever Satan decides to throw at me, God sees that temptation and says, "Carter can make it through that unscathed."  It seems as though God has a little more faith in me than I have in me.  My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.
Because I have seen the weakness of my flesh, I have found that God has given me a few weapons to battle against the enemy.  The first is, as stated before, God.  If I simply watch Him and pray, he will deliver me.  The second is also vitally important, especially at a place like Camp Ba Yo Ca, and that is the people around us.  God has placed people in our lives for specific purposes, and I believe he wants, and even expects us to lean on those around us for support.  Remember earlier when I was speaking of that "sin that so easily entangles us?"  Well this is what the Bible has to say about that: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2a)"  This verse outlines both tools that I speak of, but I want to focus on the "cloud of witnesses."  Hebrews 11 is what many Christians refer to as the Hall of Faith.  This chapter outlines the life of many important people in the Bible who lived by faith.  The cloud of witnesses are those who lived for God before us, and those who are living for Him around us.  God has given us these people to help in our battle against sin.
If you need a log sawn in half, but you never pick up a saw, will the job get done?  If you need a board nailed to another, but never pick up a hammer, will you be successful?  
God has given us the tools to succeed.  All we need to do is use them.
2 Comments
Bob Brown
4/2/2013 10:30:44 pm

Great blog! I thought of this entry when I read my devotion from Daily with the King this morning. Here it is:
April 3: Contemplating Evil Action
I will never become a strong disciple of Jesus Christ until I properly understand my relationship to evil. Evil does not become evil to me unless I allow it to become so. A cancer is strictly a fibrous mass in my body until I am afraid; then it becomes evil to me. Jesus said of Satan, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30, KJV). The evil one attacked Jesus time and again, but he never won any ground. That sets the pattern for me: I must not let evil invade me, violate me, spoil me. Even more, I must not even consider doing evil, for love "thinketh [takes into account] no evil" (1 Corinthians 13:5, KJV). Just as contemplating temptation is the beginning of sin, so contemplating evil action is the beginning of defeat.
That means I must not let evil dwell in my mind, my thoughts. That is where "the renewing of [the] mind" (Romans 12:2) must come in. A renewed mind is God's mind, and God will never allow evil to upset Him. Thinking godly, however, is not an action of self effort. It is really effortless, like the flow of the Niagara Falls. I must simply allow Christ to flow through every impulse of my being; then my mind will be automatically, continually renewed.
Lord, I must never be naive and pretend evil does not exist. I must always recognize its existence but never its authority. The moment I bow to its yoke I start my slide downward. Whenever I turn from evil I can always depend upon Your support, for "the eyes of the Lord are [always] toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry" (Psalm 34:15).
"And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you" (1 Peter 5:10).

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Leseja Ramosa
4/24/2022 07:17:31 pm

I am indeed grateful that I have dying to be enlightened and I don't regret to have in my search come across this rare yet profound input on the sin that easily entangles

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