Monday, September 5, 2011

My Devotion... Enjoy


There are three kids.  All are invited to a party, and they all know that there will be alcohol at this party.  The first kid decides to go to the party because he has had a stressful week and he wants to relax and get away.  He ends up drinking so much that he eventually passes out by a toilet from puking his guts out.  The second kid decides to go along as well thinking that he will be fine.  He thinks that he won’t drink but is quickly talked into drinking.  He regrets this decision later.  The third kid on the other hand decided that he didn’t want to go to the party.  He knew that if he put himself in that sort of environment that his chance of drinking was higher.
Which kid are you?  Do you welcome in sinful behavior like the first kid?  Maybe you don’t welcome it but allow yourself to be put into situations that can cause you to sin.  You might not want it to happen but peer pressure is different when your put yourself in that position.  Are you kid two?  Maybe your kid three.  The kid that instead of putting himself into an environment that could cause a lot of pain and regret, decides that going home would be the best idea.  It might not be as fun but at least he won’t regret being able to remember what he did.  Here is the Bible’s take on it.
Proverbs 1:8-19  “8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 9 They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.  10  My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give into them.  11  If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; 12  let’s swallow them alive like the grave, and whole like those who go down to the pit;  13  we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;  14  cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”--  15  my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;  16  for their feet rush into evil they are swift to shed blood.  17  How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it!  18  These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!  19  Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.
Why do we sin?  After asking many people ranging from men to women of all ages I’ve summarized most of there answers.  They either want the good feeling that comes after it and regret it later or they just don’t realize what’s happening until it’s to late.  The main reason is because they put themselves into situations that amplify the possibility for sin.  That raised another question.
Why do we put our selves in situations that would cause us to sin?  I know from counseling people that they want to test how strong we have become spiritually.  We try out certain situations to see how strong we are or how strong we are getting.  Most of the time we fail.  It’s like if your on a diet you wouldn’t go into a donut shop would you.  This leads to my final point.
How do we get away from sin?  Avoid it!  If your not put in that environment in the first place then you can’t do it.  Set boundaries for yourself, if you have a problem with drinking then maybe you should go to a bar.  If your addicted to pornography then don’t allow yourself to be alone.  Bottom line is that you do have the power to beat sin.  It’s whether you want to or not is your main problem.

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