The Easiness of Sin

The world's philosophy and biblical way of life almost always violently collide. Like a ship that is buffeted by the rough waves of a storm is the life of one who intentionally walks in the way of the Bible.

In the last twenty years the storms instead of slowing down have only been upped from category one to five. Dangerous winds that produced some damage have now changed to sustained winds that produce catastrophic damage.

In Proverbs 4:24, 25 we read, Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.

When these words were laboriously etched on the papyrus, we were living in a different world. Communication was mostly face to face. So if you spewed perverse words you had to say it in the hearing of another. We probably would have heard more "shouting matches" - people screaming, yelling or cursing under their breath perverse words.

But in the last twenty years our high tech world has changed it all. Take for example, perverse words spoken by teenagers. Forty years ago, students with a mean personality carried out their acts and attacks within the classroom or the school walls. Now words are finding a new playground in MySpace and Facebook. Like a wild climber, they are quickly taking over our real and virtual worlds to engulf and suffocate their victims. Reality check from recent days is horrifying. Two years ago, a 13-year old teenager was driven to suicide by an adult who thoughtlessly scribbled perverse words about this young woman on Facebook. This year on January 14th, another teenager, 15-year old Phoebe, committed suicide after her "bullies" followed her with their vicious acts and worlds, not just in school but in Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace.

The easiness of sin plagues not just our teenagers but even us... the aging Gen X. Twenty years ago, as a teenager, we had to timidly walk to a bookstore and pick up a pornographic magazine paying for it as it lay hidden beneath the more popular Time. Today, we can sit at the comfort of our cushioned chairs and flip through Websites with obscene images that occupy our minds for days and weeks if not for months and years. As our nimble fingers click digital numbers, at the mention of hello we engage in vague and empty relationships with people outside the bounds of a sacred marriage. Psychologists today call this an emotional affair. Skype and Google chat have taught us to multitask and manage unhealthy relationships and emotional affairs with the daily business of our lives. We no longer need a well thought out plan to deceive our spouse, family, and friends... it is an easy everyday occurrence.

No wonder we are now facing sustained winds that will produce catastrophic damage in our lives. Amidst this raging storm that ebbs away our dim lights, is there hope? If we walk in the way of the Bible, is there a rescue line? With this book will we sink or will we reach shore?

The answer lies not in the book, but the person this book is all about - God.

Almost 13 years ago, when I married, my husband wrote to me a beautiful statement - the more my love for God grows, the more my love for you will grow. At that time I did not understand what he meant. I wanted his love for me to be unconditional. Now he had to love God if he was to love me. What if he did not love God? Will he still love me?

But as the days went by, the truth of this statement began to slowly dawn on me. When we love God, we love others. This is not a competing love... it is a fulfilling love.

God never seeks our second best. Rather, He wants us to enjoy a fulfilled, overflowing and abundant life. A life that is not governed by our circumstances... rather it governs our stormy circumstances. His Holy Spirit works in our hearts. He changes our attitudes and our thoughts so that we can have this abundant life that He has promised to us.

In our areas of weaknesses... whether we are buffeted by the images on a digital screen that consume our minds or we want to pick up our iPhone and talk to a man or a woman who is not our spouse or scribble words that hurt and cause pain in someone's Facebook page... when we turn to God, we rely on Him to give us self-control.

For some of us, there are days when this has to be a minute by minute, hour by hour walk with God. But God will lead us and protect us as we battle the storms.

Today, if you are plagued by temptation, as you sail through life that is buffeted by sustained temptations that can cause catastrophic damage in your life, STOP. Grab your Bible from your shelf, blow off the dust and begin to read it. If you do not have a printed Bible, you can read it online at http://www.biblegateway.com/. Then pray. God, our Lord Jesus Christ, is as close as the mention of His name. He WILL come to your aid.