Tag: faith and repentance

Avoiding Sin

by Sean Perron
by Sean Perron

 

When the opportunity for sin entices us, what should we do?

Proverbs 4:15 – Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on

1) Avoid sin.
It is unwise to play on the train tracks of Satan. As believers, we cannot flirt with sin and we cannot let her flirt with us. We must avoid sin at all costs. Face masks on, gloves wrapped and distance kept. Total detours are necessary when sin presents itself. According to the Proverbs, to move towards sin is sin. Proverbs 5:8 – “Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.”

One practical way to avoid sin is to plan ahead. If you know you are going to the movies with some friends, look up a Christian review of the movie beforehand. Even if it is a juicy new release, be prepared by planning ahead. Waiting until a trusted review comes out will serve you immensely. This will prevent you from being in an awkward situation with your friends if you realize you need to walk out of the theater. (It may also save you money on a movie ticket) One website I recommend is pluggedinonline

Another example of planning ahead is driving separately. I have found myself at parties, celebrations, and festivities where I wish I had driven separate. I arrived unsuspecting, unprepared and trapped. When things took a turn for the worst, I was not able to make an easy escape.

2) Turn away from sin.
Not only must we avoid it, but we must turn away from it. This requires direct and decisive action. Sunglasses will not do, we must turn our backs on its hellish glow. We must give sin the cold shoulder and keep walking.

This can be as simple as turning off the TV or changing the radio channel when inappropriate material invades. It may be as painless as turning the head or it may be as excruciating as cutting a hand. (Matthew 5:30)
Christians cannot be moths flying towards sin’s hypnotizing light; we must stop gazing into sin’s deadly trance.

3) Flee to Christ
Proverbs 4:15 is a Sergeant against sin. It commands with utmost clarity and total security. God includes this verse in the Scriptures for our good. Our life is at stake when sin begins to beckon. The fool is someone who does not fear the Lord and runs headlong into sin. Those who are wise fear God and flee to Christ. Jesus shields us from the wrath of God and gives strength for the struggling saint.

Run from sin by running to Jesus. Replace poisonous desires with flourishing ones. Avoiding sin will be fruitless if you also avoid Christ. Jesus wants us to replace old desires and deeds with new ones. Stop stealing and start sharing. Quit cursing and begin blessing. Forsake lust and cultivate love. Close your eyes to sin and open your heart to Christ.

Brothers and sisters, do not be lured into sin like a fish drawn to dead bait. Instead, let us be like Pilgrim in Pilgrims progress. When sin calls, let us plug our ears, and pass by, crying loudly “Life! Life! Eternal Life!”

When it comes to sin, take a detour, pass by, put on Christ.

 

photograph taken by Steve Runner

What the Demons Taught Me (part 2)

 

 

[this is part two of a series on The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. See What the Demons Taught Me: part 1 by Spencer Harmon]

 

1.)  Selflessness is self-forgetfulness

Screwtape constantly reminds his young nephew to keep his patient away from self-forgetfulness and encourages him to, “…teach a man to surrender benefits not that others may be happy in having them but that he may be unselfish in forgoing them” (141).  If my main goal in giving my money to the poor is so that I can be known as a “generous person” I have a sinful motivation.  Instead, I ought to find my joy in the joy of others.  My preferences, interests, and “image” should be like morning fog being burnt away by the heat of the needs of my neighbor.

2.)  Worldliness is worldliness no matter how many times you call it “experience”

Screwtape informs Wormwood that, “Real worldliness is a work of time – assisted, of course, by pride, for we teach them to describe the creeping death as good sense or Maturity or Experience” (156).  My American Christianity needs a good dose of this reality.  For it is easy to cloak my love for the things of the world by saying certain sinful things are bearable for “mature believers” while I lose my childlike desire to please my heavenly Father.  If the movie is sinful I should not watch it; if the music is sensuous I should not listen to it; if the party is a house full of temptation I should not attend it.  These are not legalisms that keep me from understanding my world better; these are prescriptions that help me see my Savior clearer.

3.)  Faith and repentance is better than your most spiritual promises

Screwtape scolds Wormwood for his patient’s response to a recent “fall from grace” because he is not making, “…lavish promises of perpetual virtue,” but instead, “only a hope for the daily and hourly pittance to meet the daily and hourly temptation!” (69).  Faithfulness does not always look flashy, and neither does daily dying.  So often a fiery sermon, a fresh new book, or a stirring conversation incites a desire to promise God feats that he is not asking of me.  Rather, God calls his sons and daughters to repentance and faith, and seeking his kingdom first.  This is the radical Christianity we have been wanting:  grace fueled obedience.