Teeter & Totter

It's easy to have a disgust for the sins of others because when we get the whole picture, we can easily see God's point of view and how the sin affects him. When WE sin, however, the lies of the devil blind us to God and only allow us to see the supposed or false benefit of the act. We generally only find a true disgust for our sin when it's done and we can approach the Lord about it.

Here's an easy way to see temptation; consider that you're going on a spy mission. On this mission you are being fed false information. You are told to relax your guard because you have really seen any enemies so far. You are told that even if you do skip out on the mission, it's not like they would fire you, because you are too valuable--it doesn't matter if you fail! You are told that there probably aren't many booby traps on this mission, so you don't have to worry as much. What they aren't telling you is that it will affect someone if you don't follow all the rules! The mission will fail unless you make sure that whoever is backing you is going to do so without fault and that you are physically and mentally prepared for the mission beforehand. Funny thing is, God always has reinforcements when you need them, so as long as you're not too proud or self-seeking, there's really no way the mission can fail with God's help.

Something to remember: A stumble is not a fall. This means that even during the mission, if we start heading in the wrong direction or we get lost, all we need to do is radio in for directions instead of giving up and continuing on toward failure. And if we don't know what it means to fail your mission, God gives a pretty good mission statement in the Bible--you should go check it out!

For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. ~Psalm 38:4 (ESV)

Final thought: if you are ever teetering on the edge and about to give up and fall forward, just face the other direction and allow God to take the totter. Your iniquities might feel too heavy for you, but consider this: you're probably not the strongest person in the galaxy. Just take it to the Maker.