STOP SIN BEFORE IT STARTS

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Written by papambos

2nd Samuel 11:1-5; Hebrews 2:14-18

It is much easier to stop sliding down a hill when you are near the top than when you are half way down. This quote is from the footnotes of the life application study Bible, New Living Translation second edition on our text: 2nd Samuel 11:1. I am going to lift a lot of statements from this footnotes because it really captures our topic and it is well presented.

God has not promised us a world that we will be free from temptations, but He has promised to always give us a way out. As his children, God always gives a way out for us to stop sin before it starts, but most times, we allow ourselves to fall into sin; especially the sin of adultery just like David did.

There are seven lessons to learn from David and his episode with Bathsheba according to our text, and as presented on the footnotes I mentioned above:

  1. David abandoned his purpose by staying home from war. (11:1)
  2. He focused on his own desires (11:2)
  3. When temptation came, he looked into it instead of turning away from it. (11:3)
  4. He sinned deliberately (11:4)
  5. He tried to cover up his sin by deceiving others (11:6-15)
  6. He committed murder to continue the cover-up (11:5, 17)
  7. The consequences of David’s sin were far-reaching, affecting many others (11:17; 12:11; 4, 5)

David would have simply gone to war in the first place, or he would have fled when he saw the nakedness of Bethsheba, but he didn’t. He allowed his weakness to take over him, and stop him from stopping sin before it started. Today God knows our weakness and wants to help. We should:

  1. Ask God in earnest prayer to help us stay away from people, places, and situations that may tempt us
  2. Memorize and meditate on portions of scripture that combat our specific weaknesses. At the root of most temptation is a real need or desire that God can fill, but we must trust his timing.
  3. We should find another believer with whom we can openly share our struggles, and call this person for help when temptation strikes.

Ultimately, Jesus alone can help us. We need to constantly have fellowship with Him, by creating time to study His word and talk with Him in prayer. He understands our weakness and is always ready to help.

I pray that God will continue to help us stop sin before it starts in our lives in Jesus name. Amen. God bless you.

 

 

 

 

 

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