“Identification with God is
the key to intercession, and whenever we
stop being identified with Him it is because of our sympathy with others,
not because of sin. It is not likely that sin will interfere with our
intercessory relationship with God, but sympathy will.” CHAMBERS
When I read this … it was like a light coming on
for me. Do you remember what happened in
the Garden with Adam and Eve? Adam chose
Eve over God. Do you see wanting to
please others as a motivation for disobedience?
Maybe you don’t think of it that way … maybe you feel sorry for them or bad
about their predicament .. but sometimes it puts you in a place where you must
stand with them or with God. What I am
talking about is very subtle .. it looks like a good thing to do … Perhaps they
are doing something that is clearly contrary to God’s Word. You choose to look past it or maybe even accommodate
it. Those situations never lead to
better things .. just more sin.
“And the woman said to the serpent,
"We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it,
nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " Then the serpent said to the
woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of
it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also
gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:2-6)
Eve chose to disobey God. Rather than do the right thing … Adam chose
to accommodate that sin and participated in it.
I know I have over simplified this story. But my point to you is that you can find yourself
actually encouraging sin by your condoning it.
It might be your spouse or your children or a friend … they do something
… they ‘eat from the tree’ and you say nothing or act as those what they have
done is perfectly acceptable. You both know
that what they are doing is wrong .. and your response makes it easier for them
to continue in that sin.
Does rejecting the sin mean that you reject the
sinner? God does not accommodate our sin. We understand that and accept it as His
nature.
“For I have come to 'SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, A
DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW';
and 'A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THOSE OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD.' He who loves father
or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter
more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:35-37)
What do you think Jesus meant by those words? Accommodating the sin of others is a ‘love
choice’. When we accommodate the sin of
others, we show that our love for them is greater than our love for God.
“Jesus answered and said to him,
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him,
and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which
you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.” (John 14:23-24)
So what does it mean to ‘keep His words’? Right … It means that you don’t accommodate sin
.. you don’t choose others over God. You
don’t wink at actions that are contrary to the Word. It means that you trust God and reject the
notion that doing what you know is right will result in a bad outcome. People
want you to tell them that what they are doing is OK and if you don’t they may
reject you. They may even try to make
you feel like you are the one that is in the wrong.
When you boil this down to its essence … it is
about faith … Do you believe that God loves you and obeying Him will result in
the best outcome? It’s true .. but it’s
hard to do
Jesus said to him [the father of the boy possessed by an
evil spirit] , "If you can believe,
all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father
of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24
Let that be your cry as well … and then Stand Up
for Jesus
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
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