farther than you want to go...

"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."

The first time I heard that little statement, I marveled at the accuracy of those words. I also shivered a little, as the realization of the truth in it struck me. Sin. Such a small word for such a wide depiction. Yet, it affects us all in one way or another. I've watched it build from something as small and minuscule as a lie, a phone call, a word, to something big and ugly that has destroyed great men and women of God, ripped apart families, and ruined teens. I have experienced firsthand, the consequences of sin. And I can be the first to admit how much fun it was. At first. But, as the Bible clearly warns us, sin will find you out. It found me out. From the most unexpected place. It hurt me. It hurt others. And worst of all, it hurt God. It was ugly, heartbreaking, disappointing. It drug me down to something lower than I was. It hurt my testimony. I stopped caring for the things of God. I stopped doing what was right. My attitude changed. I stopped reading my Bible, because frankly, I just didn't want to. It is something I must live with for the rest of my life.

I think everyone has heard the little saying, "If you play with fire, you're going to get burned." Sin and fire are much alike. The consequences of it are very grave. Remember the story of David with Bathsheeba? It started with one wrong turn. David simply decided to stay home from battle. Just one wrong decision. He took a walk. He discovered Bathsheeba one evening, and decided she was pretty. Pretty enough, that he thought he would send for her for a night of pleasure. They had sex. She got pregnant. He swiftly and quietly put an end to her husband, Uriah, and married Bathsheeba. They had a baby. The baby died. And from then on, God promised David that the sword shall never depart from his house. There would never be peace, there would always be death. And for what? One night of pleasure. One wrong decision. That's all it takes.

The Bible tells us, in James 1:15, that, "When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Death. God takes sin seriously with a Christian. He also tells us, in Galatians 6:7, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." This verse, in all it's boldness and truth, scares me. To death. I wonder what I will reap in exchange for my sins. I wonder what trial or hardship I will have to face because of it. Will it affect me alone? Will it affect my future children? My family? The thought terrifies me. I don't want my children to get caught up in the same mess I was in. I don't want anyone to...

As Christians, we must be very careful with ourselves in letting sin creep into our lives. The devil knows our every weakness, and uses them against us. If there's an area in your life that you know is not pleasing to The Lord, deal with it. Deal with your sin before God does. He promises to forgive us, as David writes in Psalm 32:5, and again in Psalm 103:12. "As far as the easy is from the west, so far hath he removed or transgressions from us."