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A Killer on the Loose

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I don't know if you have talked to your doctor lately, but you need to know that you have a deadly disease. On second thought a medical doctor wouldn't be able to spot the sickness I'm talking about, but believe me - you have it. If you don't take action soon it will destroy your happiness, your relationships, and possibly even your life.

The really sad thing is that a lot of people don't even believe in this illness, even though they see signs of it all around them everyday. It's a classic case of denial, but refusing to believe it exists doesn't make it go away.

The disease I'm talking about has been around since the beginning of time and it's called sin. It's everywhere and in everything, and if you don't do something about it soon it will take you out like a freight train.

So, how do you do something about it? I'm glad you asked! First, like any disease, you need to define and identify it. For example, if I told you that there was cancer in your body, you wouldn't just walk away and say "thanks for letting me know..." Absolutely not! You would be shooting questions at me like "what part of my body? How long has it been there? How serious is it? What are my treatment options?"

The same is true with sin. I have already told you that you have a "cancer" of sorts. The reason I know that you (and all people on earth) have it is because God has stated this in His Word. Here's the bad news from the Great Physician:

For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. (Romans 3:23)

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. (I John 1:8)

If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. (I John 1:10)

The cancer we all have is called sin, but what exactly does that word mean? The Bible basically uses two images to help us understand what sin is. The first is of a person stepping over a boundary line. Think about a soccer or football game: when a player crosses the lines around the playing field, they are "out of bounds." When we cross the lines that God has set up for life, we are sinning by being "out of bounds." So, what are those lines? Simple:

Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Jesus is telling us that every one of God's rules will be kept if we treat others the way we want to be treated. Think about it: how much less would you sin if you knew it would come back and happen to you? For example, would you gossip about someone if you knew it automatically meant that someone would then gossip about you? Would you shoplift something if you knew that something of yours would be stolen? This Karma type principle is a great way to think about the Golden Rule, which is the line that defines when we sin. When we don't treat others the way we want to be treated in thought, word, or action, we step over the boundary and sin. When you think, say, or do anything that you know is wrong towards yourself or others, you have sinned.

The second image the Bible uses is one of an archer missing his target. In our world, think of a basketball player missing the basket. The idea here is that even though we try, we oftentimes miss the target: which is Jesus. In other words, God has set up a target for us to aim at in the person of Christ. Anytime we fall short of being or acting like Jesus, we sin. So what this means is that we all sin not only when we DO something wrong, but also when we DON'T do something right. For example, let's say you see people in need (someone hurting, or hungry, or in need of a friend), but you decide not to do anything about it. Guess what? You have sinned! Or let's say you have an awesome opportunity to share the gospel with someone, but you decide to keep your mouth shut because you don't have enough of a "relationship" yet. Guess what? You sinned again!

So the best way to define sin is this: We sin when we step over the boundaries God has given to us, and we sin when we step back from the lifestyle Jesus has lived for us.

IMPORTANT POINT!

Don't let anyone feed you the stupid idea that you can sin without consequences, or that God is against sin because He doesn't want you to have fun. The reason God hates sin so much is because it ALWAYS ends up hurting somebody or something, and He actually is against sin because in the long run it will destroy your life.

So can you see now how serious this is? Every day we step over the line and miss the mark, and every day the disease grows more serious unless we decide to do something about it. So let me give you three critical things that you can put into practice right away to stop and even reverse this deadly killer.

#1- Trust Christ as your only hope of salvation.

The only way in the universe to get the power to fight sin is through a personal relationship with Jesus. When you trust Him as your only hope of salvation, He forgives you completely of the penalty of sin, and He comes to live inside you to deliver you from the power of sin so you can stop stepping over the line and missing the mark. The Apostle Paul put it this way:

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7:24-25)

#2- Keep short accounts with God

As you become more and more aware of sin in your life, you will need to confess these to God so that you can be in a right relationship with Him. If you wait hours, days, or even weeks to confess your sin, I guarantee you will get pretty discouraged bringing such a laundry list of sins to Him. What you need to do is practice "spiritual breathing," which keeps your relationship with God healthy and connected. For more information on spiritual breathing, check out the "Hands" section of this Soul Fuel below.

#3- Use the Sword

When Jesus was tempted to sin, He used Bible verses to fight the temptation. Shouldn't that say something to us? If He needed to quote Scripture for victory, maybe we need to as well? The Word of God is referred to as the Sword of the Spirit - so when temptation comes along, use your weapon! The best way to do this is to memorize verses that will help you fight the lies from the devil, the world, or even yourself that make you think sin is actually a good idea. Here's what King David wrote:

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11)

Bottom line: Our effort to identify and get rid of sin is like the story of a sculptor chipping away at an enormous block of stone. Another man asks him what he's sculpting, and the sculptor replies, "An elephant." The other man then asks, "How do you sculpt an elephant?" The sculptor considers the question for a minute, then says, "It's really very simple. You just chip away anything that doesn't look like an elephant."

God is sculpting your life to be like Jesus. With His help and your efforts, you can chip away anything that doesn't look like Him.

I don't know if you have talked to Jesus lately, but you need to know that you can take care of your deadly disease. Take action today so that you can live the awesome life that God intended you to have!

Head: What you need to know about this truth

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Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

God has a holy hatred for sin, and so should we. If we grow comfortable with sin, it will destroy our lives. Many Christians treat sin like people who decide it's a brilliant idea to have a pet Boa Constrictor. They become friends, bond together, then eventually the Boa acts true to its nature and strangles the life out of its owner. Sin will do the same thing to you unless you decide to hate it with the same passion as God. Now I realize that a lot of sins are fun. Otherwise people wouldn't be sinning! But what you need to realize is that it was our sin that hung Jesus on the Cross.

This week, rent The Passion of the Christ (as long as it's OK with your parents). As you watch Jesus agonize over the blows to His body and the lashes to His back, remember that it was your sin that caused Him to have to endure those things! As you see Him bow His bruised and bloody head in death, think about the sins that you have committed that He bore on the Cross so you could have eternal life. If watching a depiction of an innocent man die for the things you have done doesn't develop a hatred of sin in your life, I don't know what will.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

If you are ever going to get a handle on sin, you are going to have to learn about spiritual breathing. This is probably one of the most important habits you could ever develop, and it's really very easy! Here's how it works:

Pay close attention to your conscience. Anytime you realize (or God reminds you) that you have stepped over the line and/or missed the mark, immediately "breathe out" by confessing that sin to God. Then "breathe in" by asking the Holy Spirit to fill you, control you, and help you to stop sinning. Pretty simple, but most Christians don't breathe very much, which is why they feel suffocated with life. Try this everyday, and I promise that you will have much more victory over the deadly disease called sin.