ON GUARD

“I would never…” (fill in the blank).  We hear of some scandal of a celebrity pastor—an abuse of power, an adulterous relationship, a theft of funds, and such.  Our reaction is to say, “I would never…”.  The one thing we must not do is say, “I would never…”!  David was a man who brought down a giant with a slingshot, yet was brought down himself by a woman he saw bathing.  David was the one who wrote so many psalms that show such an intimacy with God, and yet decided to cover up his sin by basically committing murder.  He is identified as, “a man after [God’s] own heart,” (1 Sam. 13:14), but surrendered his heart to lust.  If David could fall, so can I…and so can you.

Weigh these words: 

“Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed,” said the apostle, “lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:12–13).

Are you a leader who thinks you are not vulnerable? Are you like the person who looks at the acorn and thinks that such a little thing could never become an oak tree, or a forest, or a forest fire? The sin in our hearts is the acorn. It has the power, if not crushed, to germinate, to become a sprout … and then a tree … and then an entire forest. 

This is in part why Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, warned not only against adultery but against lust in the heart. This is also why he warned not only against murder but against a grudge in the heart. Every adulterous fling begins with a “harmless” thought or glance, and every murderous rampage begins with a seemingly insignificant grudge. 

Wherever our hearts are vulnerable, it is essential to crush the acorn before it becomes a sprout, to dig up the sprout before it grows into a tree, to chop down the tree before it becomes a forest, to plow the forest before it takes over more and more land. God said to Cain, “Sin is crouching at your door … You must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). Master the sin, Cain, lest the sin gain mastery over you. Crush the sin, Cain, lest the sin end up crushing you and those around you. 

As the wise Puritan John Owen said, “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” (From Weakness to Strength: 8 Vulnerabilities That Can Bring Out the Best in Your Leadrship, Scott Sauls, pp. 34-35, Kindle edition).

Let us humbly confess our weakness and cast ourselves upon the Lord for strength.  Let us go to the cross and ask God’s Spirit to crucify the flesh and enable us to walk in reliance on Him. Be on guard.