"Little" Sins

Over the years I have learned that all truth comes from God, even if it's not from an overtly Christian perspective. I have found this to be so true having worked in the field of addiction and learning about 12 Step Recovery programs. Just about everything that is taught in the 12 Steps about how to get sober can be related back to the Christian faith. We teach individuals about the importance of accepting our helpless condition (lost and sinful beings), surrendering our lives to a "Higher Power" (God), and learning to rebuild our lives in the pursuit of letting go of self and pursuing the will of something greater than ourselves. 

One lie that Satan tries to convince us of is that some sins are worse than others. It becomes easy to judge, rationalize, and dismiss our sin when we take our eyes off of Christ and begin comparing ourselves with others but Romans 6:26 says, "For the wages of sin is death..." Tonight I had to remind myself that my "little" sins will lead to death just as easily as someone else's "big" sin. 

When Christians mature in the faith many times we make radical changes that are obvious to others on the outside but over time it is not uncommon to compromise on our values and allow the world's ways to creep into our lives. Please be aware of how Satan uses those seemingly insignificant things (such as TV, music, movies, books, social media, etc.) as a way to get you to lower your standards and become accepting of or dismissive to things that are unholy and competing for God's position as first in your life. 

Relating this back to addiction, the next time you question why someone cannot simply stop using drugs or drinking alcohol ask yourself why you choose to continue watching that television show that you know you shouldn't watch (sin of idolatry) or why you keep eating those sweets when the doctor told you to start watching your weight (sin of gluttony). Those things are killing you just like the drugs and alcohol are killing them. 

In order to overcome the sin in our lives we have to recognize and confess our sinful condition, surrender to Him, and dedicate our lives to being holy and pursuing Christ. The second half of Romans 6:23 says "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." As a result of choosing obedience to God and forsaking the things of this world we get to experience the gift of everlasting life.

We do not have time to waste while we are here on this earth. Time is fleeting and there is much to be done. One day we will let our guard down and rest, but until then we must remain vigilant and alert to Satan's schemes. Keep your eyes on the cross, my brothers and sisters, and I will try to do the same!