Don't Let Sin Take Root

“Walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, ‘Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.’ If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

We just moved into a house that we are renovating. In the backyard there is a vine -  a weed actually, that has nearly taken over the yard.  It is everywhere.  The roots are huge and very strong.  We are finding it very difficult to remove. It started small some years ago, but was left unattended. It has become intertwined with good plants.  We find that we must sacrifice some of the good plants to rid ourselves of the bad. That is the way it is with sin left unattended in our hearts.  

We must be so very careful.  Our flesh can deceive us. People do or say bad and hurtful things to others .. maybe to you …  and it seems reasonable that they should be criticized or treated in a like manner .. punished even. So we hold on to that attitude towards them and before you know it, it has taken root in us.  We justify it in our minds and perhaps to others, not realizing that it has significantly affected our spiritual condition … and, in turn, the way we relate to other people.  Our heart becomes hard … The Word of God is clear about how we, as Christians, are to respond to people .. irrespective of how they respond to us … love your enemies .. pray for those who despitefully use you  (Matthew 5:44) … if someone strikes you on one cheek .. turn the other (Luke 6:29) These verses – actually commands - are about our attitudes toward people that are not nice to us.

When we don’t do what the Word says to do, then sin will take root in our hearts. Over time we come to the place where we accept that sin as inescapable or think that is just the way we are. If that is you, read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 to refresh your right thinking.

A word of caution, we cannot do anything that the Lord commands in our own strength, but only by the power of the Spirit in us.  The temptation is to think, “Ok, I must try harder.” Trying harder will not work. It will only result in failure because you are trying to do something that is spiritual by natural means. How you treat others is reflection of the level of love you have in your heart for God.  If you have an obedience problem, it’s because you have a love problem.  The first step to having the right attitudes towards all people is to start with the Lord.