Don’t Give Sin a Chance

Genesis 4:7

And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

Baltasar Gracián, a Jesuit priest, wrote a book in the 1600’s that is still highly regarded for its wisdom about understanding the world and moral issues. He had little tolerance for human foolishness and wrote, “Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.”

In short, he was saying that giving in to a small sin can easily lead to a larger one. For those of us who want to follow Jesus, renounce our sinful selves and live victorious over it, Gracián’s words seem to echo what the Lord said to Cain when he killed his brother Abel, the first murder recorded in the Bible.

Sin is like an evil being, a demonic force waiting outside my door and as soon as I let it into my life, it wants to control me, to dominate me. The Apostle Paul said that he found that evil was present in him at the same time he wanted to do good. He likened the grip of sin like a law that was ruling over his body and he was it’s prisoner.

How can we be free from it’s power and gain dominion over it?

In Romans he says that our old sinful self was crucified with Christ and we must declare it as dead, a corpse that we are no longer slaves to. If you openly declare that you are dead to that sin that is tempting you, I mean say it out loud as you sense temptation coming on… and you fill your mind with promises of God’s Word through His Spirit, you will have power over temptation and the choice to escape it.

You can literally kick it out the door and bolt it shut.

Get rid of your TV, put a filter on your internet and let someone else determine the password. Stay away from the people who drag you into sin with them. Live a vigilant life on guard at the door to your thoughts.

What do you do when you blow it?

Run back to the Lord, confess it, thank Him for His mercy, and bolt the door to protect yourself.

How often can you repent to the Lord?

Seventy times seven every day because His forgiveness is that abundant. But the warning is clear. If you let sin back in, it will make the battle more difficult and your sorrow will multiply.