Sin Is a Destroyer

As recently posted in the Emma Joy Weekly Newsletter

Beware Playing with Fire


Sin is like acid. It is a destroyer, it demolishes, it takes away from our very humanity and diminishes our ability to thrive as people and in all roles or responsibilities God has called us to in life.


I've said before that I would like my life to serve as a warning to people, showing how sin has the potential of ruining someone's life and possibly leading them to actual suicide. I remember hearing Craig Gross of XXXChurch speak about a guy he knew that had cheated on his wife and after being found out, committed suicide because he couldn't deal with the repercussions of his actions.


I have heard about others whose porn addiction overtook them to the degree that suicide, in their mind, became the only option and so life ended on such a tragic note due to sinful choices that ended up proving to be destructive.


I am reminded of the great sins I've committed in life, how my words alone have really ravished people at the heart level, the ways I have mocked God in despicable anger, and the attractions or desires formed through entertainment I have viewed and indulged in as though pleasure were the ultimate god and something worth signing my life away in pursuit of.


I must take steps every day to avoid stumbling blocks and this begins with what I allow myself to dwell on or fantasize about. I am a sinful wretch whom if it weren't for God's intervention and discipline, would be one of the worst sinners out there (and by worst, I simply mean I would live a life of total debauchery from a selfish heart that cares only about pleasing myself). I have to fight against giving into self-harm (knowing if I gave myself permission to do so, it would continue), I must daily choose to avoid speaking to people or going places or listening to music, etc. that I know will lead me astray.


It's crazy, isn't it, to realize just how much we allow ourselves to be at the beck and call of our sin. We make excuses for it, we run to it, we treasure it as though it were breath and life itself. I'm right there with each of you in regards to waging war against lust and other destructive choices. I could write a book on how sin has distorted my personality, my attractions, what I find appealing, what I secretly wish I could engage in, and consequences I have suffered and am still suffering to this day.


Please understand that as Christians, we are called to walk in a manner worthy of the One who has saved our souls. How dare we (and I'm speaking to myself first) flirt and toy with sin as though it can join us comfortably on our earthly journey until the day we stand before God. It's inexcusable the way we often think little of the impurity or unrighteousness we practice and then assume all is right between us and God because we know He offers forgiveness. We spit in the face of God each time we choose to give in "just one more time" and we are kidding ourselves to believe that because God is a good God, that the choices we make on an hourly or monthly basis can simply be swept under the rug since we live in a fallen world where temptation abounds and it is difficult to remain centered on God and pursue genuine repentance.


Will you join me in praying that God would bring each of us to the end of ourselves, do the necessary purging and refining we need, and conform us more into the image of His Son (Romans 8: 29) no matter what it takes?


Please take it from me that sin in its many forms is beyond pleasurable (trust me, I understand), yet it is equally damaging and if not repented of, will be damning as well.


Jesus gave His life for us, His very life, He bore our shame, He made the way for us to be in right standing with a holy and just God...and after knowing this, will we still cling to our sins of choice?


God have mercy on us! God act! God intervene! God do whatever it takes to restore our lives and sanctify us!


If you'd like to write to me or are in need of prayer or advice, please don't hesitate to contact me at: EmmaJoyBlog@gmail.com


I would love to dialogue about our great King and further share my experiences with how sin can wreck our lives and speak joyfully about Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords who is worthy of all praise and is the only One who can transform us in such a way that we become new creatures indeed!


I must note here that while God is able to mold and shape us, we have a part to play. We choose (James 1: 13-15) what we will watch, read, listen to, who we spend time with, how we spend money, the route we take to work or school each day, and what we allow ourselves to dwell on. All sin has a starting point and what may seem like small insignificant choices we make each day could potentially turn into such burdens, such misery, such bondage that the only solution we can see is suicide. Please take God seriously and treasure His word. Read it daily. Read it hourly. Commit your life and the sin you so dearly love to God Almighty and plead with Him to show you the clear way out of the habits you've formed and the lifestyle you have been living.


I, like the rest of you, must choose each day to honor God and ask myself if what I am thinking, planning to do, places I go, people I spend time with, or the entertainment I view will lead me to sin and make excuses or if I will guard my heart with all diligence and stay away from people, places, or things that tempt me. And temptation is everywhere. I so love this short sermon by John Piper where he speaks of the need for Christians to be "freakish" in a world where anything goes...to take God so seriously that we are willing to part ways with whatever it is that keeps our sin alive and enables it to thrive.


Again, we will never be perfect or attain being sinless as we walk this earth, but by God's grace and us clinging to Him and His word like there is no tomorrow (because there just might not be for some of us), we can sin less & less and find victory from the sins which have so bound us in the past.


Please understand that sin will wreck you in every way. Often times we don't realize what a mess it has made of our lives until we are in the midst of terrible consequences, yet please believe me when I say that remaining innocent and living life according to God's word is the most fulfilling, abundant life there is.


And this is a truth I must remind myself of daily or I will become a monster in my desire for sin and in my plan to carry out catering to my lusts.


I would also like my life to be a great example to others of how God can transform and restore the most bitter, angry, perverted, rude, etc. and mold & shape me (and you!) to be used of Him for His glory and the benefit & help of others.


Let's allow God to work in our lives, shall we? Let's pray earnestly that He would open our eyes to see the destructiveness of sin and to see all of life from His perspective; from a Biblical perspective.