I first came
across the New York City “sin will find you out” landmark near Times Square
during Saturday Night Live’s cast roll call in the 1980’s.
It quotes Numbers
32:23:
“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the
LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
Yes, it’s a
warning, not to take away our fun, but rather, to protect us. Because, let’s
face it, sin is QUITE costly…
“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own
lust, and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
James 1:14-15
Scripture
tells us to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves…
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of
it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
And that’s
no small thing. It’s challenging, because we can be so easily deceived. We can
get to the point where we believe we’re getting away with sin.
“He hath said in his heart, God hath
forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.”
Psalms 10:11
Eh… not so
fast…
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil
and the good.”
Proverbs 15:3
And no,
we’re not the first to be deluded. Ever hear of a guy named Satan?
“The pride of thine heart hath
deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation
is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?”
Obadiah 1:3
“Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the
pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that
holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as
the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.”
Jeremiah 49:16
Pride, sin
and downfalls all seem to be buddies, don’t they?
“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before
a fall.”
Proverbs 16:18
Pride is an
attitude; let’s get real. And that attitude
comes from the heart. The heart is where we get tripped up.
“The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9
“For out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemies:”
Matthew 15:19
It’s really
not looking good for us, is it? But wait, there IS hope!
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye
believe in God, believe also in me.”
John 14:1
God is still
on the scene, tending to us.
“And I will give them a heart to know
me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Jeremiah 24:7
But we have
our part in the equation as well. Are we willing to be tended to?
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me,
and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting.”
Psalms 139:23-24
We have free
will. It is our choice, based on our attitude, based on our hearts. What are we going to do
concerning these realities?
Do we care-
do we even know God’s perspective on
these things? Do we know what He’s saying?
God has not
left us utterly defenseless. He has given us His Word to guide us. Do we turn
to it and employ it in our lives?
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee.”
Psalms 119:11
And it’s not
too much for God when, not if, we blow it. God is constantly leading and
guiding us…
“Your ears shall hear
a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to
the right hand, and whenever turn to the left.’”
Isaiah 30:21
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go:
I will guide you with My eye.”
Psalm 32:8
Again, don’t
be afraid.
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye
believe in God, believe also in me.”
John 14:1
God’s still
invested: His Word, Jesus, His Grace…and let’s not forget His Love…
“The LORD hath appeared of old unto
me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
Jeremiah
31:3
Let’s allow
God, then, to truly and completely
find us, instead of our sin! It is possible!!!
Copyright © 2015 by Sheryle Cruse
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