TREATING SIN LIKE A PERSON
“If you do things well, I will accept you, but if you do not do them well, sin is ready to attack you. Sin wants you, but you must rule over it.”
Genesis 4:7 NCV
When you read this portion where God talks about Sin to Cain, God literally gives a personality to sin and treats sin like a person.
The way he describes sin is like a Mad dog who wants to attack you,
He describes sin like a hungry Lion who has an appetite for you,
And also says that we can master it and control it.
We often treat sin like a habit to kick off, a feel good factor that’s hard to give up, an emotion that’s hard to let go. Or as Something that we do to feel like we belong to someone or some group.
But when God talks about sin he gives us a picture, like it is a monster that can talk to us, devour us, capture us, master us. So he personifies sin as if it is a person.
Also God makes temptation look as animate as possible and says to look at temptation like the devil himself disguised like a serpent that talks to us and gives us ideas to go against the law of God.
If you read Peter 5:8 it says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
He gives the devil also a similar imagery like sin. So the person hiding behind the so called habit or feeling is the person Satan himself.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 NCV
“The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.”
So what are the ways to escape this mad hungry dog called sin that is waiting to devour us at our door step.
First identify the sin,
God tells Cain it is waiting in your door step. Sin is waiting in the gates of our heart. The windows of our soul are our eyes, ears and touch gates. It’s sitting there the moment we wake up and move out. It’s out there. It identifies your weakness and attacks each one according to what they need.
You need to see what causes you to fall. That’s why Jesus says watch and pray. In Mark 14:38 ““Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.””
Mark 14:38 NIV
What makes you fall, is it wine or a picture, a game, a place, a word, an action, a group of friends or a person, a food. What is it? You have to watch it and be alert. Don’t be complacent. Be vigilant to see what is the sin that makes you fall.
Secondly Pray
Talk to God about it seriously not casually. Treat it seriously. Jesus asks his disciple to pray at-least one hour to stand against temptation. The Bible says, “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.”
Matthew 26:40 NIV
5 minute quick fix prayers won’t help when you need to seriously fight off a sinful habit. Take an hour to pray over your sin. Put on the full armour of God and fight. Be prepared to face this lion at your door.
Jesus also repeatedly prayed to overcome the sin that was waiting for him. You see the only sin that Jesus could fall into was to find a way to escape the way of the cross. From the beginning Satan was trying to give him options to establish himself as the Son of God without dying on the cross. He said you can jump off the steeple and prove you are God or bow at my feet and get the people to worship Him. “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Hebrews 5:7 NIV. Even Jesus had to pray so much to be victorious how much more should we be alert to throw off sin that so easily entangles us ( Hebrews 12:1).
Thirdly Talk to the sin
Jesus kept talking to trees wind and waves like they were people. You might think it has no effect but you can say wine you don’t have authority over me. Porn you cannot make me fall for you. Gossip you can’t get to me. What is the sin at your door step? Talk to it. Even when Jesus was tempted by Peter to let go the way of the cross he recognised that it was Satan and rebuked Satan sharply who was working through Peter. He did not mind offending Peter or Satan.
When we read about the temptation of Jesus in Luke chapter 4. We see that Jesus spoke to the tempter. We are not sure if Satan took Jesus literally to the temple top or mountain top or if it was just in his mind. We are sure He spoke aloud to the situation. In Luke 4:13 says, “ After the devil had tempted Jesus in every way, he left him to wait until a better time.”
The opportune time came when he used Peter, one of the closest disciples to speak to Jesus. It was like Satan was waiting for two years to see who best to use to get Jesus for a long time. Jesus was able to see through Peter to find who was talking, it was not Peter it was the devil tempting Jesus to walk away from the cross. He speaks to Peter but rebukes Satan the one talking through him ( Matthew 16:23). Jesus did not mind offending Peter. Jesus did not think if I hurt Peter the very one whom I’m dependent on to build my church will leave me. What will happen to my mission after I leave the earth? My chief Bishop, the rock. on whom I’m banking on might leave if I rebuke him. No Jesus spoke to the one causing him to sin like he was the Devil himself.
Satan usually tempts us with those closest to our hearts. It’s hard to rebuke them. So we tend to sugar coat them and eventually when the pressure is too much we give in.
Finally If we do things right you will not fall into temptation.
Do what you have to do.
What was Cain supposed to do? He was supposed to worship God in all fullness and give him the best. He was supposed to be in God’s presence and make it his priority. When he gave the second best and was complacent in What he had to do well, sin mastered him.
Be in church when you have to be there. Be with your family and do what needs to be done well with them. Study when you have to study. If you don’t study when you have to then during exams your best friend will be there to show you the answers. Sleep when you have to. Eat when you have to. Fast when you have to. If you do well what needs to be done then sin will not master you. That’s the principal God taught the first humans which is still true today after thousands of years.
Worship and Pray when you have to. God’s presence also can offer you the sense of belonging, the feel good factor, the habit that becomes tough to quit once you have truly experienced His tangible presence in your life. The time of true worship can leave a lingering taste in your heart and soul that you will long to experience again and again. So it’s almost the opposite. If you treat worship and prayer not as an ritual to follow but as a person to meet a relationship to enjoy. If your eyes can see the one who is the lover of your soul and you do worship like you mean it. Then you can overcome sin. I often find Jesus raising his eyes to the heaven ( John 11:41, 17:1)and seeing the Father whilst he prayed. May we also learn to see the Father who art in heaven ( Matthew 6:9), whose throne is in heaven ( Isaiah 66:1), who sits above the circle of the earth ( Isaiah 40:22).
Treat sin like a person and you will see that you can kick off that monster at your door step. Happy kicking…
In His Service
Jemimah Amirtharaj
