Dominoes Part 1

I'm going to break this post into 2 parts because it's going to be long. It's also many thoughts so I think it's pretty necessary. There's been a lot going on in my thoughts, and my relationship with God so I thought it important to write it out for you guys. Without further adieu, here we go.

The main thought of this post is "The domino effect of sin". This post obviously pertains mostly to my life considering these are my personal thoughts on the subject, but I would be willing to bet that others have this particular issue as well.

What I mean is that I go along my merry way during the week and feel that I'm doing a pretty good job of avoiding sin (I know this isn't the case, but at least conscious sins), and then I let the flesh win a battle. I say let because truly God does not tempt us beyond our ability to withstand temptation. This may consist of anything such as drinking too much on a given night, or eating too much during a meal.

The result is that this sets off a ripple effect of doing things that I probably wouldn't normally otherwise do. Much like how a "diet" is ruined for the week if you cheat once, and you have to wait until next Monday to get back on track so you might as well just cheat the rest of the week. (I know you guys know what I'm talking about).

I was talking to my buddy Matt Tolbert about this back when I was living in Chicago. It's extremely easy to get into the mindset of "well I sinned so I might as well do the other things I wanted to do during this time of failure". We don't realize that we are expected to sin, and ultimately it is KNOWN by God that we will sin before we even do it. We are not saints. We should not feel the need to be that way either.

Christianity has been twisted into an unrecognizable reflection of its former self. Sure, Christ is still there. Sure, the Bible is still there. But how many people do you know in the church that LIVE how Christ did? (No I'm not saying homeless and broke) but truly learning to love someone for them, not their status or material wealth, and practicing the tenets of love and forgiveness no matter what the price.

Brennan Manning used to say "Christ loves you how you are, and not as you should be". Let that sink in. As. You. Are. Right now. Even after you got mad at the bad driver in front of you coming home from work. Even after you thought about what types of material wealth you could gather if you were Bill Gates. Even after you had pre-marital sex. Even after you lusted after someone on the street. Even after you were prideful in your self-righteousness.

He knows. He knew before he gave His life on the cross for you. However, what does He say to the invalid man that He healed in John? "14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinninga or something worse may happen to you.”" (John 5:14) It's right there. From the mouth of Christ. Stop. Sinning.

So why do I have the mentality that one sin can beget another? That I failed, so another sin won't matter? I'm going to do it anyway so I might as well get it over with? I don't honestly know. I don't know if it's a product of our culture. Or if it's a product of us being human. Either way it's something I've decided I need to fix.

As I said before, It's so easy to fall into the "Domino effect". I see these patterns other places in my life as well. This also doesn't happen with positive things, but only negative. It's the typical flesh pushing the boundaries. Just one more. Just another one, it won't hurt. It's sin rearing its ugly head yet again.

It's ok to stop. It's ok to not repeat. It's ok to allow God to change you. It's can be a scary thing becoming a true child of God, but as we can see the rewards in heaven far outweigh the rewards you get here on earth. 

I'm going to continue praying about this, and allowing God to change me in this way. Working to be conscious every time I fall into this habit. Over time we CAN change, and if we ask, God WILL change us. I pray that those of you who also fall into this temptation will look to Him for help.

Tune in tomorrow or possibly the next day for another installment in this topic, but more of a progression. I have a lot to say that I thought about over the weekend. As always, thanks for reading and see you next time!