Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.** Psalms 37:27-29 (NIV)**
Our adversary loves to present the bait yet hide the hook, Amen? He holds out to us the golden cup but conceals the bitter poison within it. He lures by presenting the sweet but hides the wrath and misery which no doubt will follow. There will always be blessings in obedience and consequences to sin as surely as sparks fly upward. Because that is what God’s Word states. Every sin carries with it a death sentence of sorts – it never brings forth life only shame and loss. Satan promises honor, freedom, profit, joy and pleasure but his payment delivers shame, bondage, loss, sadness and death. There is always death to sin, be it physical, relational, emotional – sin is not our friend no matter how enticing it may appear. The bite of the apple was not worth the trade off – to say the very least – yet Satan continues to bring down many. We are to keep our distance from sin – it may please a little at first but it will pain the soul at last as it always ushers in loss to something. And as Isaiah 48:22 (NIV) states: “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” Indeed, the wicked discover themselves wandering around in a trackless waste.
We are to be killing sin in our lives or it will be killing us. The Lord warns us to turn from our evil ways and seek Him, pursuing His commands and decrees, and being desirous of walking in His ways. This is always for our good and His glory. Scripture tells us in Psalms 119:165 (NIV): “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” Yet conversely sin ushers in the greatest and saddest losses to the soul. Indeed, sin is not our friend rather it is an insidious monster seeking to devour. Resist it standing firm in your faith. It behooves us greatly to watch our lives and doctrine closely.
The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. 2 Kings 17:13-15 (NIV)