GENESIS 4:7b – Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. “
THEME OF THE DAY: DON’T ANSWER THE DOOR. It will always come with a persistent knock on the door of our hearts. It will even raise its voice saying, “Please let me in. I have some really good and pleasurable things with me.” And it won’t go away easily. This “it” is referred to in today’s scripture – sin crouching at the door with that door being our hearts. The danger with the unwelcomed guest of sin is the promises it brings seem and feel so attractive because they are attractive. But if we open the door of our hearts, letting sin in, the promises quickly change to pain. The deception of sin has deceived us only to take us to a place of great regret and remorse. And two other dangers exist. Crack the door of our hearts open just a little to “see” who is knocking (a picture of playing with temptation), and this “guest” will push its way in! Then, danger three – kicking this guest out of our hearts won’t be easy. Sin, once entertained and embraced, will seek a long-term residency in our hearts. So, what may we do to avoid answering the knock of sin on our hearts? Here are two things to put into our lives helping us to keep the door locked and sending this unwanted guest away.
First, remember who already occupies the residency of our hearts – Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Through God’s Spirit, Christ dwells within us – Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). When temptation comes knocking, stop and remember who is already Present within, then think of the contradiction of the holy Christ sharing a heart with what He died to free us from. This is one of the strongest deterrents to leave the door of our hearts locked and ignoring sin’s knock.
Another application is to see through the lies of sin. As I alluded to above, sin comes with promises of pleasure only to bring results of pain – and it might be severe with life-lasting consequences. Keep this truth ever before us; the father of lies, the devil, produces the fruit of lies – sin; You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44) – Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). And sin never produces lasting satisfaction, contentment, or fulfillment. Whatever sin it is, it will taste good on first bite but will quickly turn to deadly poison. So, when it knocks at the door of our hearts, don’t crack the door even a little. Nothing good will follow. Nothing.
PRAYER: “Father, may I know Your strength in my daily fight against temptation and sin.”
QUOTE: “Be careful not to be so consumed with life in this world, we live as if there is no eternal world.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim