I am convinced if we realized all the things we were saying to God when se sin, we’d turn to God more and we’d sin less. There’s a lot of overlap between these statements, but hopefully these will help you better understand the deceitfulness of sin. We see these statements all reflected in the very first sin (Genesis 3), and they’re equally true of our own temptations today.
“I know better than you.”
We redefine what is sinful and what isn’t sinful… while sexuality is the obvious example today, it’s far from the only example. Do you copy music or watch pirated movies online? Do you login to someone else’s Netflix or Spotify so you don’t need to pay for services you are receiving. The Bible calls this stealing, and that’s a sin. When we do this, we are justifying our sin by telling God that we have better judgment about right and wrong.
“I don’t trust you. You Don’t care about me.”
One of the devil’s earliest tricks is to attack our trust in God. The serpent led Adam and Eve to question God’s goodness, and this still happens to us. When we trust that someone else is wiser than we are and they truly care for us, then we’re likely to take their advice… especially when we’re not sure what to do. And yet, in times like that, we are often tempted towards mistrust rather than trust when it comes to God, because temptation relies on driving a wedge of mistrust between us and God.
“I’m happier without you.”
Temptation is tempting because it looks good and promises happiness. If we believe that sin is more exciting than godliness, then we will obviously be more drawn to sinfulness. But if we believe that God truly satisfies our longing for joy and pleasure and happiness then we’d be able to stare temptation in the face and say, “You have nothing for me but cheap thrills and I want more than that.”
Reconsider how you view sin and how you view God. Do you believe that God’s Word is truth, that He truly loves you and and that rich and lasting joy is found through intimacy with God? As the Francis Chan video below says: “God is better.”
So how do we fight sin and overcome temptation? I’ve written two articles that address those questions, you can read them here:
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