Sentinel of the Soul (4)

Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children. Psalm 73.13-15

Not a harmless matter
Asaph’s victory over temptation began as soon as he recognized what was happening. Alarms went off in his conscience to clear his mind and refocus his heart. This was no harmless fit of self-indulgence he was contemplating. It was outright rebellion against God, and betrayal of the people he was called to serve!

So, rather than voice his resentment and covetous desires, and thus fall through temptation into sin, Asaph turned to God’s way of escape, and practiced the discipline of self-control so that he would not fall through temptation into sin but grow through it into a closer walk with the Lord.

The first step along the way of escape is to remember that we never sin alone. We might think we can “get away” with some little secret sin, but we are part of a community of the faithful; we are members of the Body of Christ. If I introduce infection to one of my fingers, or poison to my tongue, sooner or later my whole body is going to feel the consequences. All the members of my body are connected to one another, and when one comes under stress, the whole body feels it.

It’s the same thing with sin. Any time we break free of the Lord, we plant a root of disobedience and corruption in our own souls. But that seed will not remain there. Like dandelions, the seeds of rebellion can waft through all our thoughts, feelings, priorities, words, and deeds in ways we cannot predict, and may not be able to control. And there is no telling how many others might be adversely affected by our deviation from the Lord.

Separation from the Lord
Sin makes a separation between us and the Lord (Is. 59.1, 2). Once that separation begins, it’s easy to forget or to rationalize disobeying the Word of God, as Peter did in that courtyard.

Further, when we harbor sin in our heart, God will not listen to our prayers (Ps. 66.18). Until His Spirit searches and convicts us of our sin, and we confess and repent, we are going to be running down the down escalator at a dangerous pell-mell pace (Ps. 139.23, 24; Jn. 16.8-11; 1 Jn. 1.8-10).

And do we suppose this will not affect the people around us? Can we be sensitive to the needs of others, when our own spirits are dulled by the presence of sin, and we are consumed with our own pleasure? Will we be looking for opportunities to encourage others in the Lord, or to bear witness to them, when sin is blackening our souls and suppressing faith? Will our worship be as rich and contagious, our joy as full and edifying, or our walk as exemplary as it should be, while sin is dragging us around by the collar of our soul?

Hardly. We never sin alone. Asaph remembered that he was a fellow citizen with the saints of the Lord, a member of the Body of the Lord’s people, and he would not allow himself to become a point of entry for corruption into the holy nation. If we love our fellow believers and all the people to whom God sends us each day, we will heed the warnings of the sentinel of our soul and seek God’s way of escape through temptation.

Know your place in the Body of Christ
This is why it’s important that each Christian understand his or her place in the Body of Christ. By His Spirit God has gifted us to serve our fellow believers with words of edification and deeds of love (1 Cor. 12.7-11; Heb. 10.24; Gal. 6.1-10). If we are not actively seeking to nurture and use our gifts in ministry, beginning in our everyday lives and our Personal Mission Field, we may already be allowing a root of sin to grow in our soul.

God has called us to become equipped for ministry and ready for good works, so that we serve others after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 4.11, 12; Tit. 3.8, 14; Jn. 13.1-15). If, because we have freed ourselves from God and His Word, we refuse to do this, and to take our place as contributing members of the Body of Christ, are we not disobeying the instruction of the Lord? Are we not betraying the people of God?

We never sin alone. Having recognized that we have come under temptation, the first step along the way of escape is to remember that we are linked by God’s Spirit with all other believers in the world. Rebellion or corruption, introduced into our soul, will have deleterious effects on the other believers with whom we are associated.

Love of God and neighbors requires that, in the face of temptation, we look for God’s way of escape, beginning with the first step, which reminds us that our lives are linked with those of all the other followers of Jesus Christ.

For reflection
1.  What do we mean by saying we never sin alone? Can you give an illustration? How should knowing this help to keep us from falling through temptation into sin?

2.  What can be the consequences of harboring sin in our heart?

3.  How can remembering that we are part of the Body of Christ help us in dealing with temptation?

Next steps – Preparation: How will you prepare yourself today to recognize and resist temptation? Where do you expect to be tempted? How can you ready yourself to do good instead?

T. M. Moore

All the installments in this “Strong Souls” series are available in PDF by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.