Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Lamentations 1: 9 ..She did not consider her destiny; Therefore her collapse was awesome;
Here is the fourth reason not to sin...
Sin makes you stupid - For Judah the warnings were loud and clear...several prophets preached to her of coming judgment...Jeremiah for 40 years. God's people, however, played with fire and they got burned. They refused to believe that their rejecting the word of God and living according to their own desires would bring God's punishment. Sin always eventually or sooner rather than later brings judgment.
Now all of us know that judgment is coming...both believers and unbelievers. I was an unbeliever for 35 years, and I knew that judgment was coming; but I kept putting off coming to the Lord. I thought I had to clean myself up to go to God...or I thought my life would be boring as a Christian and figured I would have fun while I could...but the bottom line was I did not want to admit my need...I thought I could fix whatever situation I got myself into. The things I did were so stupid...I knew they would have consequences later on but I did them anyway...Sin really does makes you stupid. AND it never starts off big...it starts off small and as your heart becomes hardened against the conviction of the Spirit it increases until you find yourself doing things you would have never thought possible. You begin to be blind to consequences and you lose the ability to see around corners, so to speak.
Finally, the Lord in His goodness, mercy and compassion, allowed my heart to be broken over a situation and I KNEW I had nowhere else to go. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death...but the gift of God is eternal life in His Son. The ultimate judgment is hell and it is reserved for those who go all their lives refusing to look up and acknowledge God. The Bible tells us that even the demons believe and tremble...but knowing with your head and believing with your heart are two different things. When your heart believes something your actions will follow...You can believe something intellectually and do nothing about it. Romans 1 tells us that we are all without excuse.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.--Romans 1:18-23
When I think of sin making us stupid, I think of the story of Moses lifting the serpent up in the wilderness...the very story Jesus was telling Nicodemus in John 3. Here is what Jesus said in John 3 and the story from Numbers follows:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.--John 3:14-17
4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.--Numbers 21:4-9
Would you believe that many refused to look at the serpent on the pole and died! It seems like such an easy thing...just look at the serpent on the pole and be healed...don't look and die! Many, many many of us do the same thing. We refuse to lift our eyes to the cross and believe and be saved. We know in our heart of hearts that judgment is coming and yet refuse to look. God does everything He can to get our attention...just like he did for Jerusalem, but He will not force belief on anyone. If we continue in that refusal, we will ultimately die in our sins and live eternally separated from God.
Even after coming to God through belief in His Son, we can still resist the Spirit of God. Maybe we start to make a practice of a certain sin and continue in it, despite God's warnings to us...knowing that God will not allow us to get away with it forever...knowing the law of sowing and reaping...knowing there will be a day of reckoning. Yet in our pride we refuse to acknowledge it, because we are loving our sin at the moment more than we are loving God, or we are allowing offense and unforgiveness to cloud our vision. Now, no one, not even us (John 10:28) can snatch us out of His hand, but we miss out on so many of His blessings this way and have to be led around like a mule rather than guided with His eye.
I don't know about you but I do not want to have to be harnessed and led around like a mule...I would much rather God be able to guide me with His eye. What is the remedy? James says it best in Chapter 4 beginning in verse 7.
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
There is your prescription and it is filled with humility...Girls, when we draw near to God and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save our souls; He changes us and conforms us into His image. We see ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior and readily put off our sin knowing the price that was paid for it. We put off our offenses and forgive knowing HOW VERY MUCH we have been, are and will be forgiven!! The Word, girls, "ARIGHTS" our thinking. Going any length of time without it causes our mind to become clouded...He wants us to seek Him daily...The Bible is your sword of the Spirit...it is your only offensive weapon. If you do not use it, you are defenseless against the wiles of the enemy. As you saturate yourself with the Word...it washes the filth of the world away...As we keep our minds on Him by keeping in the Word, we are transformed daily into His image.
Our sin does make us stupid...but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and with Him is knowledge of the Holy One. I will end with the last half of Proverbs 1 starting in verse 20.
20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22 “ How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “ Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil.”--Proverbs 1:20-33
Love
Mom who is done with reasons not to sin even though Lamentations gives many more...
