Avoiding Compromise That Leads to Sin
“Israel failed to destroy the nations in the land, as the LORD had commanded them.”
Psalm 106:34 (NLT)
When we compare the failures of Israel to our own nation and our own lives, we are led to repentance. Like Israel, how often have we compromised with the world around us and failed to remove the potential for future sin? It’s one thing to feel bad when we do wrong, but that’s not really repentance. The kind of sorrow that leads to repentance and leaves no regret is when we admit our mistakes and take action to correct them so that we can prevent making them habitually. Many people confuse repentance with being sorry they got caught. Guilt should be a warning light on the dashboard of our conscience to lead us to fix the problem before it creates a bigger one. Putting tape over the light is not a repair. Ignoring our sin only leads to greater damage. Real repentance not only acknowledges the sin but puts in place boundaries and safeguards to make it less likely to commit the same sin. It’s called “accountability.” To whom are you accountable? This is one reason we are to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we may be healed. I like the way The Living Bible puts James 5:16. It says, “Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.”
Because we are all broken, we all need healing. God provided a practical way for us to avoid compromising with the sins of our culture. He gave us fellowship with one another so that we could encourage each other and pray for one another. When I admit a failure in my life to a trusted Christ follower who I know loves me and won’t judge me but pray for me, I become accountable. Through their prayer, support, and accountability, I find the strength to say no to the temptations that would be beyond my ability alone to resist. This is why it is so important to be connected to a life group in a local church. When Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, he said, “Dear brothers, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong. Share each other’s troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command. If anyone thinks he is too great to stoop to this, he is fooling himself. He is really a nobody.” Galatians 6:1-3 (TLB)
God never designed us to be “Lone Ranger” Christians. In fact, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. Do you have a Tonto? Do you have an accountability group of trusted friends who love Jesus and love you too much to let you drown when you’re in water over your neck? People who would risk their own lives to rescue you. We all have blind spots. Even when Jesus sent His disciples out to minister, He sent them by two’s! The Bible says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV).
You can avoid compromise and protect yourself and others from the potential of habitual sin through accountability with fellow Christ followers. Don’t be the one who falls and has no one to help them up. Connect with a life group today. For more information, contact wc.org/lifegroups, and check out our LIFE CLASS this Sunday at Woodlands Church. You can register now.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.