Why You Give In to Sexual Sin

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:8, 12)

Why isn’t David crying out for sexual restraint? Why isn’t he praying for men to hold him accountable? Why isn’t he praying for protected eyes and sex-free thoughts? In this psalm of confession and repentance after essentially raping Bathsheba, you would expect David to ask for something like that.

The reason is that he knows that sexual sin is a symptom, not the disease.

People give way to sexual sin because they don’t have fullness of joy and gladness in Christ. Their spirits are not steadfast and firm and established. They waver. They are enticed, and they give way because God does not have the supreme place in their feelings and thoughts that he should.

David knew this about himself. It’s true about us too. David is showing us, by the way he prays, what the real need is for those who sin sexually: God! Joy in God.

This is profound wisdom for us.

John Piper 

If You Don’t Fight Lust

Abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 

(1 Peter 2:11)

When I confronted a man about the adultery he was living in, I tried to understand his situation, and I pled with him to return to his wife. Then I said, “You know, Jesus says that if you don’t fight this sin with the kind of seriousness that is willing to gouge out your own eye, you will go to hell and suffer there forever.”

As a professing Christian, he looked at me in utter disbelief, as though he had never heard anything like this in his life, and said, “You mean you think a person can lose his salvation?”

So, I have learned again and again from firsthand experience that there are many professing Christians who have a view of salvation that disconnects it from real life, and that nullifies the threats of the Bible, and that puts the sinning person who claims to be a Christian beyond the reach of biblical warnings. I believe this view of the Christian life is comforting thousands who are on the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

Jesus said, if you don’t fight lust, you won’t go to heaven. “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29). The point is not that true Christians always succeed in every battle. The issue is that we resolve to fight, not that we succeed flawlessly. We don’t make peace with sin. We make war.

The stakes are much higher than whether the world is blown up by a thousand long-range missiles, or terrorists bomb your city, or global warming melts the ice caps, or AIDS sweeps the nations. All these calamities can kill only the body. But if we don’t fight lust, we lose our souls. Forever.

Peter says the passions of the flesh wage war against our souls (1 Peter 2:11). The stakes in this war are infinitely higher than in any threat of world war or terrorism. The apostle Paul listed “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,” then said it is “on account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5–6). And the wrath of God is immeasurably more fearful than the wrath of all the nations of the world put together.

May God give us grace to take our souls and others’ souls seriously and keep up the fight.

John Piper

How to Defy Sinful Desire

By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. (Hebrews 11:24–26)

Or, boil it down to the essentials: “By faith Moses . . . [left] the fleeting pleasures of sin . . . for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24–26).

Faith is not content with “fleeting pleasures.” It is ravenous for joy. Joy that lasts. Forever. And the word of God says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). So, faith will not be sidetracked into the deceitful pleasures of sin. It will not give up so easily in its quest for maximum joy.

The role of God’s word is to feed faith’s appetite for God. And, in doing this, it weans my heart off of the deceptive taste of lust.

At first, lust begins to trick me into feeling that I would really miss out on some great satisfaction if I followed the path of purity. But then I take up the sword of the Spirit and begin to fight.

I read that it is better to gouge out my eye than to lust (Matthew 5:29).

I read that if I think about things that are pure and lovely and excellent, the peace of God will be with me (Philippians 4:8–9).

I read that setting the mind on the flesh brings death, but setting the mind on the Spirit brings life and peace (Romans 8:6).

I read that lust wages war against my soul (1 Peter 2:11), and that the pleasures of this life choke out the life of the Spirit (Luke 8:14).

But best of all, I read that God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11), and that the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8).

As I pray for my faith to be satisfied with God’s life and peace, the sword of the Spirit carves the sugarcoating off the poison of lust. I see it for what it is. And by the grace of God, its alluring power is broken.

John Piper 

 

When God Goes Against His Will

But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. (1 Samuel 2:25)

The sons of Eli the priest would not obey their father when he rebuked them for their sin. There are three implications of this text for our lives.

1) It is possible to sin so long and so grievously that the Lord will not grant repentance.

That is why Paul said that after all our pleading and teaching, “God may perhaps grant them repentance” — not, “will grant them repentance” (2 Timothy 2:25). There is a “too late” in the life of sin. As it says of Esau in Hebrews 12:17, “He found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” He was forsaken; he could not repent.

This does not mean that those who truly repent even after a whole lifetime of sinning cannot be saved. They certainly can be, and will be! God is staggeringly merciful. Remember the thief on the cross. Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

2) Sometimes God does not permit a sinning person to do what is right.

“But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.” Listening to the voice of their father was the right thing to do. But they would not. Why? “For it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.”

The reason given for why they did not obey their father was that God had other purposes for them, and had given them up to sinning and death. This shows that there are times when the will of God’s decree is different from the revealed will of God’s command.

3) Sometimes our prayers for God’s revealed will to be done will not be done because God has decreed something different for holy and wise purposes.

I suppose that Eli prayed for his sons to be changed. That is how he should have prayed. But God had decreed that Hophni and Phinehas not obey, but rather be slain.

When something like this happens (which we do not ordinarily know ahead of time) while we are crying out to God for change, the answer of God is not: “I don’t love you.” Rather the answer is: “I have wise and holy purposes in not overcoming this sin and not granting repentance. You do not see these purposes now. Trust me. I know what I am doing. I love you.”

John Piper 

Confess It Before It Grows

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” PROVERBS 28:13

 

PONDER THIS

David tried to cover up his sin by having Uriah killed. Today’s verse reminds us that those who cover their sin will never prosper. Oh, would to God that as soon as David committed that sin with Bathsheba, he had said, “Oh my God, what have I done? God, forgive me. God, have mercy. God, I'll bring a sacrifice and make restitution. God, have mercy.” God would have had mercy, God would have forgiven him, and God would have cleansed him. It still would have been a terrible sin, but the Bible says to “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison” (Matthew 5:25). That means if you’ve done wrong, quickly confess it. As soon as you know, confess it, and don’t let that sin build up in your heart. But instead, David spent a year without confessing that sin.

When was a time you had an opportunity to confess sin but instead sought to hide it?

How can we learn from these times so that we respond differently in the future?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess before God any sin that is lingering in your life today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Stay Close to God

 

“So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’ Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.” 2 SAMUEL 11:3-4

 

PONDER THIS

There are three individuals sitting in the seat where you are right now: the person you are at this moment, the person you could be for God and for good, and the person you could be for evil. Now, many of us do not realize the propensity for evil that’s in our hearts. Many do not realize the depths, the depravity, to which they could go as children of God. You say, “Not me, preacher.” Are you better than David? David is one of the greatest men that ever lived, but David got casual about his walk with the Lord. He just assumed that God was going to keep on giving him victory. He let down his pursuit of the things of God and became idle and lazy. He was casual, then he was careless, and then he was compulsive.

What can we learn from David’s example?

How does God use accounts like David’s to keep His people from the danger of sin?

PRACTICE THIS

Reflect on any areas in which you might have let down your pursuit of the things of God. Take action today to draw nearer to the Lord, confessing anything you need to confess.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Dirty Rags No More

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. (Isaiah 64:6)

It is true that any shortcoming of God’s law offends his perfect holiness and makes us liable to judgment, since God cannot look with favor on any sin (Habakkuk 1:13; James 2:10–11).

But what brought a person to ruin in the Old Testament (and it is the same for us today) was not the failure to have the righteousness of sinless perfection. What brought them to ruin was the failure to trust in the merciful promises of God, especially the hope that he would one day provide a Redeemer who would be a perfect righteousness for his people (“The Lord is our righteousness,” Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16). The Old Testament saints knew that this is how they were saved, and that this faith was the key to obedience, and that obedience was the evidence of this faith.

It is terribly confusing when people say that the only righteousness that has any value is the imputed righteousness of Christ. To be sure, justification is not grounded on any of our righteousness — even Spirit-given righteousness by faith — but only on the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. But sometimes people are careless and speak disparagingly of all human righteousness, as if there were no such righteousness worked in us that pleased God. This is not helpful.

They often cite Isaiah 64:6, which says our righteousness is as filthy rags, or “a polluted garment.”

But in the context, Isaiah 64:6 does not mean that all righteousness performed by God’s people is unacceptable to God. Isaiah is referring to people whose righteousness is in fact hypocritical. It is no longer righteousness. But in the verse just before this, Isaiah says that God approvingly meets “him who joyfully works righteousness” (Isaiah 64:5).

It’s true — gloriously true — that none of God’s people, before or after the cross, would be accepted by an immaculately holy God if the perfect righteousness of Christ were not imputed to us (Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21). That is true! But that does not mean God does not produce in those very “justified” people an experiential righteousness that is not a “polluted garment” — even though it is not yet perfected.

In fact, he does produce such a righteousness, and this righteousness is precious to God and is, in fact, required — not as the ground of our justification (which is the righteousness of Christ only), but as an evidence of our being truly justified children of God. This is what Paul prays for, and we should pray for. He prays in Philippians 1:10–11 “that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

John Piper 

Victory Over the Enemy Within

“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose us some men and go out, and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.’” EXODUS 17:8-9

 

PONDER THIS

The victory over your flesh is a God-given victory. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” If I’ve learned one thing in all my Christian life it is this: holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness. Now, I’m not just playing with words. Paul did not say, “If you will not walk in the flesh, then you can walk in the Spirit.” He said to walk in the Spirit as the means to keep from walking in the flesh.

Victory over your flesh is a God-given victory. That’s the only way you’re going to come out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into Canaan. There’s an Amalek within you that stands to try to keep you from living in victory. But thank God, there is a victory. When you take the staff of God, which is the Word of God, through the power of God, the Spirit of God, and you hold it high, He will give you victory.

Where do you currently need to fight against your own flesh?

How will you depend on God to give you this victory?

PRACTICE THIS

Journal the ways you are currently fighting against the flesh. Write out the ways you will depend on God for victory in these areas.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Respond When You Falter

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Romans 7:19)

Christians do not live only in defeat. But neither do we live only in perfect victory over sin. And in those times when we fail to triumph over sin, Romans 7:13–25 shows us the normal way a healthy Christian should respond.

We should say:

I love the law of God. (verse 22)

I hate what I just did. (verse 15)

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (verse 24)

Thanks be to God! The victory will come through Jesus Christ my Lord. (verse 25)

In other words, no Christian wants to live in defeat. No Christian settles for living in defeat. But if we are defeated for a time, we shouldn’t lie about it.

No hypocrisy. No posing. No boasted perfectionism. No churchy, pasted smiles or chipper superficiality.

And even more, God save us from blindness to our own failures and the consequent quickness to judge others.

God, help us to feel worse about our own shortfalls than the failure of others.

God, give us the honesty and candor and humility of the apostle Paul in this text! “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25).

John Piper 

Preserving Peace Through Being Slow to Anger

“A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention.”

PROVERBS 15:18

 

PONDER THIS

All anger is not bad. Jesus was angry, but He was angry at the right things. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and do not sin.” The Bible warns us to be slow to anger because we do often sin in our anger. (See James 1:19.) Proverbs 14:17 says, “A quick-tempered man acts foolishly.” Proverbs 18:13 says, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.” Proverbs 29:20 says, “Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Be slow to anger. The way to control your anger is to control your words. Consider Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath.” Controlling our anger begins with controlling our speech. One angry word builds the next word and that builds the next word, until it gets worse and worse. We must learn to be slow to speak and slow to anger.

What might be an example of righteous anger?

How can even righteous anger turn to sin if we are not careful?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a list of things that you have anger or passion about today. Consider what is of God and what is not. Ask Him to help you let go of any anger that is not honoring to Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Forgiveness Cycle

“And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” (Luke 11:4)

Who forgives whom first?

On the one hand, Jesus says, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” (Luke 11:4)

On the other hand, Paul says, “As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:13)

When Jesus teaches us to pray that God would forgive us, “for we ourselves forgive,” he is not saying that the first move in forgiveness was our move. Rather, it goes like this: God forgave us when we believed in Christ (Acts 10:43). Then, from this broken, joyful, grateful, hopeful experience of being forgiven, we offer forgiveness to others.

This forgiving spirit signifies that we have been savingly forgiven. That is, our forgiving others shows that we have faith; we are united to Christ; we are indwelt by the gracious, humbling Holy Spirit.

But we still sin (1 John 1:8, 10). So we still turn to God for fresh applications of the work of Christ on our behalf — fresh applications of forgiveness. We cannot do this with any confidence if we are harboring an unforgiving spirit. (Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23–35. He refused to forgive his fellow servant who owed him ten dollars, though he claimed to be forgiven ten million. He showed by his unforgiving spirit that the king’s mercy had not changed him.)

Jesus protects us from this folly by teaching us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4). That’s why Jesus says we ask for forgiveness because we are forgiving. This is like saying, “Father, continue to extend to me the mercies purchased by Christ, because by these mercies I have been forgiven, and I forsake vengeance and extend to others what you have extended to me.”

May you know God’s forgiveness afresh today, and may that grace overflow in your heart in forgiveness toward others. And may that sweet experience of grace in your life give you added assurance that, when you go to God to experience fresh, blood-bought forgiveness, you will know that he sees you as his forgiven and forgiving child.

John Piper 

Two Purposes for Christmas

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 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 3:7–8)

When 1 John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil,” what are “the works of the devil” that he has in mind? The answer is clear from the context.

First, 1 John 3:5 is a clear parallel: “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins.” The phrase he appeared to occurs in verse 5 and verse 8. So most likely the “works of the devil” that Jesus came to destroy are sins. The first part of verse 8 makes this virtually certain: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”

The issue in this context is sinning, not sickness or broken cars or messed up schedules. Jesus came into the world to enable us to stop sinning.

We see this even more clearly if we put this truth alongside the truth of 1 John 2:1: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.” This is one of the great purposes of Christmas — one of the great purposes of the incarnation (1 John 3:8).

But there is another purpose which John adds in 1 John 2:1–2, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

But now look what this means: It means that Jesus appeared in the world for two reasons. He came that we might not go on sinning — that is, he came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8); and he came so that there would be a propitiation for our sins, if we do sin. He came to be a substitutionary sacrifice that takes away the wrath of God for our sins.

The upshot of this second purpose is not to defeat the first purpose. Forgiveness is not for the purpose of permitting sin. The aim of the death of Christ for our sins is not that we relax our battle against sin. The upshot of these two purposes of Christmas, rather, is that the payment once made for all our sins is the freedom and power that enables us to fight sin not as legalists, earning our salvation, and not as fearful of losing our salvation, but as victors who throw ourselves into the battle against sin with confidence and joy, even if it costs us our lives.

John Piper 

Where Are You Pitching Your Tent?

Pray Over This

“Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.”

Genesis 13:11-13

Like Lot, we often feel the world’s pull, but lasting security comes only by following where God leads. 

 

PONDER THIS

Many love the message of grace, but do not learn the lesson of grace and live it out. That is how Lot struggled. He had a choice. When you look at this passage, it says, “And Lot chose . . .” That's the key right there. There was no prayer, no looking to God. Then we read, “Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.” Why did Lot do this? For one thing, He wanted all that Sodom had to offer. It was unspeakably wicked, and yet there was an attraction.

We all must come to a point where we can humbly admit the world pulls on us. Jesus was tempted in all points like us. Even Jesus felt the pull of the world. There is constantly a pull on you. At every moment, you need to resist the pull of the world. What was pulling on Lot? The world with its money. The world with its busyness. The world with its pleasures. The world with its social life. Even coming from the family of God, Lot still looked to the way he wanted instead of where God was leading.

What does it look like to look for where God is leading rather than determining your own way forward?

How can you relate to Lot? In what ways do you feel the pull of the world?

PRACTICE THIS

Consider the ways you feel pulled by the world. Tell those things to God and to an accountability partner..

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

No Room for the Devil

“‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” EPHESIANS 4:26-27

 

PONDER THIS

Do you know what the word malice means? Malice is a desire to hurt somebody. Have you felt that way before? Someone has made you so mad you want them to hurt. You may not know you’ve just let the devil in. The devil can take no place except what you give him. You have gone from valuing another’s life to specifically wanting to hurt that person.

The next right response is repentance. There’s one thing God will not accept for sin: an excuse. You may feel like you’ve got rights. You don’t have any more rights than a dead man; you’ve been crucified with Christ. You’re not your own; you’re bought with a price. You’re to glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. There must be repentance—not just being broken over your sin, but being broken from your sin. Put it away; be done with it.

What are some ways you might be giving the enemy a foothold in your life?

Why is repentance such an important part of our faith? What are some reasons we avoid it?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask God to reveal any areas where you have given the enemy a foothold and repent of that sin.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Oppression and Obsession

“Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’ And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.” MARK 1:23-26

 

PONDER THIS

I once thought that if I could avoid sin, I would not face spiritual warfare. But you can be perfectly righteous and still do battle with the devil. Jesus did. The devil came to Jesus to oppress Him.

The devil works through oppression but also obsession. That’s when something fills your mind, consumes your energy, and drives you in a particular way. Many people are obsessed with money. A businessman may be respected in America today, but he may have an obsession. He's not making money; he's just keeping score. He doesn't need any more money, but he can't stop. He has an obsession. Others are obsessed with maintaining their image. Their vanity has become an obsession that drives every decision they make, from what they wear to what they say. So many times, these obsessions blind us instead of moving us toward God in repentance. You may feel like you are in control, but there is a spiritual battle at war for your soul.

Where do you feel oppressed or obsessed in your life? What might this indicate about spiritual battle?

How can we seek to balance daily interests in good things so they don’t become unhealthy obsessions?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess the ways you have been, or are currently feeling, tempted. Ask God to help you focus on Him and follow His way.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

It Begins with a Cold Heart

“So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’” 2 SAMUEL 12:13-14

 

PONDER THIS

David was a great sinner, but he became a great repenter. He confessed, “I have sinned against the LORD.” But Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” God is serious about your life. He wants you to live a righteous and holy life. David’s problem was the coldness of his heart. That’s where it began.

God may be calling you to renew your vows to Jesus and say, “I haven’t committed adultery. I haven’t killed anybody. But I don’t love you like I used to. I’ve been lazy. I’ve been idle. I’ve had unguarded strength. It may be a double weakness.” He's made you for a life walking with Him. Don’t resist Him today.

How would you assess your faith now? Where are you passionate for God? Where have you grown cold?

What does it look like to walk in holiness with God? What parts of that feel difficult for you?

PRACTICE THIS

Reflect on your life of faith and consider your walk with God. Be honest with God in prayer about where you have become cold.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

When Strength Becomes Weakness

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier." 2 TIMOTHY 2:3-4

 

PONDER THIS

David was a warrior king but when he stopped defending against sin, he took off his armor. Why had David taken off his armor? There was a battle going on, but now David had so many victories, he started taking victory for granted. He presumed God was going to keep on blessing.

There are many who struggle like this. You’ve been mighty warriors for the Lord, but now you’re getting careless. You think you are so strong. You think you cannot fall or fail. You’ve got a great record behind you, just like David had a great record behind him. Let me tell you where David fell. David did not fall because he was weak. David fell because he was strong. David fell, not at the point of his weakness, but at the point of his strength. Where was David’s strength? It was his integrity. Instead of making this something he guarded and preserved, he took it for granted. He was idle and then he became careless. An unguarded strength is a double weakness.

What are the daily defenses you take to fight against sin?

What are some ways you are prone to be careless in defending against sin? Why is this a danger?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a sibling in the faith about your struggles against sin and pray for one another.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What Sin Really Does

“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” MATTHEW 5:28-30

 

PONDER THIS

Many of us don’t realize how deceitfully wicked our hearts are. Our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Sin damages and destroys what is beautiful. What God has meant for good is completely manipulated into evil by the enemy. Sin damages and hurts at the deepest parts of our souls. Do you know what sin does? Sin takes beautiful things, and it perverts them. The devil has no raw materials. He takes the good things of God, and he perverts them.

Have you come to that place where you have embraced the gravity of your sin? I don't mean just broken over your sin, I mean broken from your sin. I don't mean just what your sin has done to you, but what your sin has done to God. I don't mean only regret or remorse, I mean repentance. Pause and reflect not just on the sin you have done, but on how those things are perversions of what God means to be beautiful.

What habitual sin are you prone toward? Why? How is it a perversion of something God made beautiful?

How does your sin impact God? How does it impact others?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask a trusted Christian friend to help you think through how sin is a perversion of something God made beautiful, and ask that friend to pray with and for you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

No Peacocks in Heaven

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . . .”

MATTHEW 5:3

 

PONDER THIS

When you come to Jesus Christ, you do not strut into His presence. The very word for “poor” comes from a root word which means, “to cringe, to cower, and to shrink back.” There are no peacocks in Heaven. Jesus said blessed is the person who is totally, completely, devastatingly bankrupt to the point of being reduced to being a beggar. And when that person comes to God he or she must say, “In my hand, no price I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling.”[1] That's where it begins. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Some people will agree they aren’t perfect. But they also believe they aren’t as bad as some other people. And I say, dear friend, you are not yet bankrupt. You've never seen yourself and discovered that the Bible says even your righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of a righteous and holy God (Isaiah 64:6). Take your sin seriously. You cannot minimize sin if you want a relationship with a holy God.

When was the last time you considered the depth of your brokenness and sin? Why do we tend to avoid this?

What is the sin you struggle to accept God’s forgiveness 

PRACTICE THIS

Confess your sin to God honestly, remembering that He is our only hope for peace.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Why You Give In to Sexual Sin

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 

(Psalm 51:8, 12)

Why isn’t David crying out for sexual restraint? Why isn’t he praying for men to hold him accountable? Why isn’t he praying for protected eyes and sex-free thoughts? In this psalm of confession and repentance after essentially raping Bathsheba, you would expect David to ask for something like that.

The reason is that he knows that sexual sin is a symptom, not the disease.

People give way to sexual sin because they don’t have fullness of joy and gladness in Christ. Their spirits are not steadfast and firm and established. They waver. They are enticed, and they give way because God does not have the supreme place in their feelings and thoughts that he should.

David knew this about himself. It’s true about us too. David is showing us, by the way he prays, what the real need is for those who sin sexually: God! Joy in God.

This is profound wisdom for us.

John Piper