Sin's Desire is for You

Today Kendall and I went on a bike ride. yesterday the whole family went and had such a good time that kendall wanted to go again today. After getting all situated we headed out for Dunkin Donuts to grab a donut as our reward for going so far. It was the makings of a glorious day between father and daughter - an adventure every man and girl dream of. But then...

Before I tell you what happened, I need to let you know that yesterday I watched Kendall purposefully ride her bike under a few tree and bush branches letting the leaves brush over her. I thought it was kind of cool and even followed her lead (almost busting my butt mind you). I never really considered the risks.

Back to today. We made it around the corner of our street and headed down the sidewalk. Kendall was leading and before I knew it she was up to her same ole antics. She headed straight for a grassy bush to brush by it, but behind the bush was a solid hedge. Next thing you know she is going down on her bike - a total body and bike plant on the concrete. I was follwoing closely behind and was not able to stop. I heard three "OW, OW, OW!" as my bike ran over Kendall and her bike. It was horrible - all in slow motion and trying to do everything I could to keep from crushing my little girl.

Thankfully, God protected both Kendall and me. She came out of the wreckage with merely a flesh woud (a couple of scrapes on her knee and ankle). It could have been worse. She could have ended up with a chain ring implanted in her forehead. The bummer of it all was that we missed out on the bike ride and the journey to Dunkin Donuts.

This afternoon I read Genesis 4:7 where God is chastising Cain for being displeased with Him. It reads, "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you and you must master it."

I started to think back to the "incident/accident" this morning. I thought about sin and temptation and all that happened. Why did Kendall choose the path through the bushes? She chose it because it seemed adventurous. It was dangerous. It looked like it might be fun, after all she had done it the day before and it was great.

It is that way with sin though isn't it? It seems to offer great adventure. Its dangerous allure is exciting and thrilling. And, how many times have we gotten away with sin unscathed?

Think about what Kendall traded though? She traded a long peaceful ride to Dunkin Donuts and the delicious tasty morsels that awaited us there for a short painful trip flat on her face. That is where sin usually leaves us - broken, bruised, scraped up and flat on our face wondering what just happened. Sure she got to enjoy the immediate comfort of her father's embrace and care, but she missed out on so much more. (Now I am not saying that Kendall was sinning by riding into the bushes, I am just letting you in on the picture that God gave me today.)

Sin is crouching at the door! It is lurking around waiting for us. God's word says its desire is for us! That is scary. When we choose to open the door to temptation, we are in danger of the power and consequences of our sin (crouching and desiring us) that can leave us laid out. Yet what we learn from Cain is that if we will simply seek to please God by doing what is right, all will go well. However, if we do not we are in danger of being overcome like a lion overcomes his prey. But...

God says, "...but you must have mastery over it." Apparently, we can have victory in this life. I am reminded of Galatians 5:16 which says, "Walk by the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the desires of your flesh." Too often we have chosen to gain victory over sin by trying to manage the flesh (sin nature), the world and the devil's influence. Victory over sin is not equated with sin management.

Victory over sin comes by being completely consumed with your relationship with God. To walk by the spirit means to be sensitive to the Spirit's leading in your life. How do you know where the Spirit is leading? You must read the "sword of the Spirit" God's word in order to know. (Note the sword is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God in Ephesians 6.) To fight sin you must know God's word. Read His word, know His word, meditate on His word and memorize His word. It means when I am dealing with a specific sin struggle in my life, I should look to find what God might have to say about it and let His words penetrate my heart leading to a changed and victorious life!

Walking by the Spirit also necessitates seeing things from God's perspective. Zooming out and taking a look from on High helps me get in line with Him.

To follow the Way means we must know the Way. John 17:3 says, "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent." All of life is really about going deeper with Christ. Oneness!

The cool thing about God is that he will always mount up with us again and take us on more advetures. We cannot out-sin God's grace. He will always ride with us again! He will always let us have a second shot at going to Dunkin Donuts. And when Kendall is ready, we will take that adventure to DD together.

My prayer is that I would know the Way so intimately that I never want to stray from the Way because of apparently "more exciting adventures."