Slick Sin
Confession: I have found myself drifting from the presence of God, that is, I found myself not seeking Him as I was. Did my behaviors change? No. Have my speech changed? Not yet. Am I wishing ill towards others or engaging in reckless activities? Nope. So you may ask, “Then where is the harm?”
Sin is slick. It’s not always these overt and reckless behaviors or cursed and degrading speech. Quite honestly, as we grow in walk with Jesus, and relationship with the Trinity deepens and sharpens, sin become more subtle and unseen, making it much more insidious and spiritually fatal. We must constantly be mindful of our motives and heart posture because that is from where it flows. Although my behavior did not change, my heart posture did. Although my speech remained the same and I continued to speak life, the well from which these things flowed, did. This is why we are warned by the Word of God to always “be watchful” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14), “be alert” (1 Peter 5:8), because sin sneaks its way into our heart and infiltrates our motives. Instead of the blatant manifested acts of our sin, we find ourselves engaging in more subtle ones like pride and a hardened heart-where we seek to justify ourselves and our acts, preserving our own will, ego and fleshly interests, rather than surrender them over to God’s rule.
Jesus tells us that it is not our acts that defile us, but rather the condition of the heart from which they flow (Matthew 15: 16-20). A heart that is turned towards God, reveres God, rests in Him entirely, and seeks to honors Him, is a heart undefiled. It is a heart that bears good fruit i.e. overflows with acts of obedience and gratitude, because this is a heart that desires to please Him above all others including self. This is a heart being purified from sin and unmoved by it. Therefore, your heart’s proximity to God determines your fruit, not your acts. The religious leaders of our past were chastised by Jesus as they believed their acts saved them, yet their hearts were from God. Any dog can be conditioned to learn new tricks. In the Garden of Eden, Eve’s sin was not eating the fruit, no; this was a response to the posture of her heart, a heart that drifted from God by means of the enemy’s enticing words. He was able insert doubt and curiosity into her heart which led it to drift from God and make room for the overt sinful act.
I want to challenge and encourage you, if you call yourself a follower of Christ, and you take pride in your long years of reading your bible and not causing harm to others, to check your heart posture. When was the last time you checked in on where your heart is in proximity to God? Do you check in every Sunday? Do you measure it by your acts? “I didn’t go off on her today.” “I gave him my last $2 even when I didn’t want to.” Reminder, Jesus said there will be people who will cry to Him, “Lord, Lord! We prophesied in your name and performed many miracles in your name” (Matthew 7:22), but with a heart away from Him, He will reply, “I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws” (Matthew 7:23). Check in daily and repent! Repentance isn’t just for acts that dishonor God and His Word, but also for those deeply rooted sins that manifests in selfish intent, unholy thoughts, and impure motives that have been sown and unchecked in our hearts. Jesus gave all of Himself to the Lord, even to the point of death. The command to love The Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, is the first and greatest command and should not be taken lightly. Seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) above all others and all things, including self. These commands tell us the posture in which our hearts should be to please God, if, in fact, that is the truth of your heart’s desire.
