In Love With Sin

Have you ever heard people say "the devil made me do it"? Recently, I was in a class at my church, and the teacher was lecturing on sin. I've heard many lectures, sermons, discussions on sin, but I had never heard anyone refer to the sinner as she did. She said, "they were so in love with their sin..." Those words hit me with an indescribable force, and as my mind was swept away to thoughts of my own recent transgressions, I had to choke back tears as I realized the devil didn't make me do it, he didn't have to.

You see, I had this sin in my life, the kind that distracts your mind, your day, and destroys you bit by bit. I tried and tried, and prayed and prayed, but try as I might I could not evict that darned sin from my life. Then one day the scales came off my eyes, and with clear vision, I finally made it home.

But those words, "in love with their sin," they haunted me. They had humbled me and changed me, and made me realize how unworthy I am, and how blessed I am to be loved by Jesus. So when a friend confided in me that he was partaking in a "small" sin that he felt he could control, I cringed.

You see, that's how it begins...
First: You decide to give into temptation, and partake in a "small" sin.
Second: Once you've given in your weakness is exposed, and the temptation comes back, and you can't help yourself, you partake again.
Third: You decide to let this "small" sin into your life. After all, God knows you're only human, ultimately you'll be forgiven because you love Jesus, and it's not a big deal you can control it.

I know this is not the case for everyone. There are those who resist the temptation, that's great! There are those who give in, but repent and don't give in again, that's great too! But those of us who willingly sin, and think we can control it are wrong. You see, it is as Jesus Himself said, "No one can serve two masters..."(Matt 6:24) If you let sin in (we all sin, because we are all sinners, when I say "sin" I mean that someone or something that you let come between you and God, because you're unwilling to let it go,) it becomes part of your life, in the same way that Jesus became part of your life when you accepted Him as your Savior. However, if you focus on Jesus, it makes hard to love that particular sin. If you focus on your sin, it makes it hard to focus on Jesus.

When I willingly let that one sin become part of my life, with no inclination to stop it, I willingly put Jesus on the back burner. I didn't want to be labeled a hypocrite, so I made Him my "secret" friend. My sin came with friends and a lifestyle, and I fell in love with both. Although I'd prayed and prayed about the sin, I was not willing to let go of my new lifestyle, or image, and those were part of the sin. By the time the scales came off, I had shed my old Christian life, and replaced it with a new sinful life. I had to knock down that structure and begin a new foundation for a new structure built of truth, not sin. I was so ashamed and embarrassed, but He took me back still.

If there is something in your life that is causing you to sin, something you think you are controlling, I urge you to evaluate your life, and consider giving it all back to God. You may not be as in control as you think.