UNDERLYING SINS

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
 James 1:14-15 (ESV)

What moves us to sin?

We often think of sins in simple terms. If I just stop doing this, I will not sin. If I just move away, I can avoid that.

However, this can be like pulling weeds. Any gardener or farmer knows that pulling the tops off of weeds does not solve the problem!

Sin can be very much the same. It is not merely the outward practice of sin that solves the problem - it is often the "root sin" or underlying sin in our hearts that will once again rear its ugly head if we don't deal with it.

The first step is salvation through Jesus Christ. He must regenerate our hearts through the new birth! However, after that we must still rule over sin day by day. This means overpowering sin through God's Word and the Holy Spirit. For the Christian, this often starts with identifying the real sin beneath the above ground sin.

For example, bitterness may be the underlying cause of certain addictions. We can open the doors to some sins by companionship with the wrong people. Anger toward a brother or sister might be causing emotions that will lead to other sins.

Sins of omission, such as neglecting the Word of God, prayer or fellowship can lead to sin. Wrong attitude leads to sin. First the underlying sin must be dealt with in order to gain dominance over the outward sin!

Did you know that an airplane has an attitude as well as an altitude? The altitude is the height of the plane. The attitude is the front to back tilt of the plane. It should be flying straight. If it is pointing too far downward or upward, it can lean to a severe crash!

The pilot does not know the tilt of his aircraft without his instrument panel.

The Word of God is our instrument panel to lead us correctly in the everlasting way!

David prayed that God would reveal his secret sins:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 139:23-24 (NKJV)

We should ask God regularly to show us what underlying sins may be the causes of our outward sins!

FINDING THE BOOK

Josiah was one of the good kings of Israel who followed the Lord with all his heart. His father, Manasseh, was one of the most wicked.

King Josiah ordered repairs on the house of the Lord. As the work progressed, something interesting was found...

Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

2 Kings 22:10

What was Josiah's reaction?

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.

2 Kings 22:11

King Josiah had a shocking revelation after reading the book...

"...For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

2 Kings 22:13b

This revelation moved Josiah to enact sweeping reforms. He tore down, crushed and burned idols, removed false worship and changed the status quo!

Our nation needs the book! The world needs the book! The Church needs the book! The Christian needs the book.

If we actually read, study and meditate on THE BOOK with with a humble heart, we too might reach the same conclusion as King Josiah.

...that we have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.

Would this renewed dedication to God's Word also move us to make sweeping reforms in our own lives?

Start your journey today in God's Word!

NEVER GIVE UP ON UNDERSTANDING GOD!

DESCRIBING SURGERY

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

A seemingly apocalyptic snowstorm is paralyzing the city.

A patient tries to wait patiently for a complicated life-saving surgery. The surgeon scheduled to operate has no way to get there as the snow piles up. The surgeon calls to inform the staff and asks if another surgeon is available. The staff informs him that no one else is available. Sadly the other surgeons are in the same predicament. The only person there is the UPS delivery driver who is stranded at the hospital.

The surgeon hesitates and asks to speak to the delivery man. He tells him he will describe the surgery over the phone. The driver agrees and the surgery is successful!

Wait! What?

Too incredible to believe? Absolutely!

Why? Because the delivery man cannot jump from point A to point Z. He has no medical training.

We often do that very thing when it comes to understanding God. We expect to ask a well educated, highly experienced pastor or teacher to give a short answer to a complicated question and we will walk away with a full, deep understanding.

Learning about God however takes a long time - indeed a lifetime is not enough.

The good news is that we can PROGRESS! We can know more about, and understand more deeply, about God next year than we know now.

As in the case of the UPS delivery driver, we cannot jump from point A to point Z. We must steadily progress day by day, month by month year by year.

It can be difficult in this instant gratification culture we live in.

But never give up! The fruits of you labor will bear fruit eventually. Perhaps not as fast as we would like - but IT WILL COME!