Sunday, June 7, 2009

We Ignore Little Sins and Indiscretions At Our Peril

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE
THIS WEEK, Tim Challis whom I link to below had a post this week entitled Little Evils, Little Sins and how they can lead to much much bigger, intractable sins in our lives and relationships. It's the kind of piece I prefer to scroll past and ignore. Insignificant, I thought to myself and moved on. Later, however, something inside told me to go back. So I reluctantly listened, returned. I'm so sorry I did, because, it convicted me of its great truths, of how sin really works in our lives. Challis uses the symbolism of the Pacific campaign of World War Two and Americans strategy of how Americans stopped Japanese aggression by taking back little island Japanese strongholds that seemed insignificant. This tactic eventually led to a big American victory over the Japanese.
Point being that taking hold of the little sins in our lives is where we have to start if our lives are ever to be turned around: Spending more money than we have and putting on credit cards, half-truths we tell a friend, a sexual fantasy about someone we think is attractive...all little things that can slowly, subtly over time lead to big financial, moral and sexual decay, then bankruptcy. And ruin lives and relationships.

I highly recommend Challis' piece if you're willing to be a little uncomfortable this Sunday. For me, it's a good opportunity to sit down and continue my ongoing fearless moral inventory and ask God's help in taking back little islands I've let go of recently. I do this through new awareness, prayer, repentance and asking for God's strength one moment at a time. Others do it a little differently, but with the same healing effects.

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