4 Ways to Guard Our Lives Against Sin
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- Published Apr 28, 2023
The battle for our hearts often happens step by step. Before we know it, we are in an all-out war with sin. God is keenly aware of the fact that sin is like a virus; once one tiny germ gets under our skin, it spreads like wildfire. In order to prevent the spread, drastic measures have to be taken!
In our more polished appearing culture, it can be hard to understand the God of the Old Testament. His commands to annihilate people groups can feel vicious but the spiritual world of the time was much more physical than spiritual when the Israelites were wandering in the desert. God showed up in all kinds of crazy ways! He appeared to Moses and the community as smoke, clouds, fire, and even in flesh. When the people sinned, the consequences were tangible and immediate. God was really there with his first people.
That being the case, the way he addressed those not willing to follow his ways was dramatic because they represented sin. Those that rejected the God of the Israelites became physical embodiments of sin, temptation, and evil, and once they infiltrated the people’s lives, it seems that the Israelites quickly were led astray. We truly are like those easily distractible sheep that God loves to compare us to all throughout the Bible.
Jesus in the New Testament is also pretty serious about our sins. In Matthew 5:30, he tells us that if our hand makes you sin, then go ahead and cut it off! He knows that your soul is much more valuable than your body. While I don’t recommend amputating an arm, I think it’s important that we internalize how focused God and his son Jesus are about our holiness.
I know we want to focus on God’s grace because we need it, but there is a danger of overlooking the ways God’s Word instructs us about how to conduct ourselves. God is our protector and some of that important protection comes from the wisdom God imparts to us from his Word. God knows what is best for our minds, bodies, and souls. That is why he sets important guidelines for us to follow.
How can we become as serious about sin as God is? Well, the first step is studying God’s Word about what godly living should look like. Here are a few lessons we can apply to our lives about God’s desire for us to be holy:
1. Be Careful What We See
Seeing is often the prelude to bad decisions. Our eyes do not tell us the whole truth. Consider Eve in the garden. Her eyes told her that the fruit was pleasing to look like and consequently would be enjoyable to taste. She believed that because the apple looked good, it must be good, even though God had told her otherwise. How often do we doubt God’s way because we think something that he says is no good appears to be good?
Looks are so deceiving. Choosing with our eyes often leads us to spiritually dangerous places that are often hard to leave. We need to be people that have eyes of faith rather than settling for what looks good on the surface.
More than just not letting sight alone guide us, we also have to be careful what we let into our view. Psalm 101:3 says, “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.” We need to keep worthless things away from our eyes because evil likes to cling to us. Media, movies, video games, apps, and the list goes on of ways we can be tempted to be entertained by worthless things. To avoid sin, we have to be vigilant about what we choose to view.
2. Think on These Things
Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Our mind is another place where sin can get a foothold in our life. The Bible tells us what we meditate on matters.
I love this list because it helps give us a criteria of what should be consuming our thoughts. If it is true, just, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or worthy, it is worth focusing on. There are so many things that we can start stewing on that don’t make this cut, such as bitterness, unforgiveness, revenge, hate, lustful thoughts, selfish gain, fear, despair, and more!
We need to stop and consider what we are spending our time thinking about. The Bible also tells us that what we have in our hearts comes out of our mouths. If we want to guard ourselves from sinful words we have to first focus our minds on the worthy things of this world.
3. Set Guard to Your Mouth
Psalm 141:3 instructs, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” Matthew 15:11 further adds that it’s what comes out of our mouths that can defile us. Our mouths are full of power!
Think of the last time you lost your temper, maybe with your child or spouse, and how much damage a few moments of angry words did to your relationship. We can cut people down in a heartbeat if we are not careful with our words. How many of us are carrying wounds from years ago from something a person of influence in our life said, probably thoughtlessly, about us? Maybe someone said you weren’t smart, you were unattractive, or incapable in some way.
I remember one 7th-grade girl I trusted called me clingy, and I forever vowed in my heart not to be needy. I’ve learned as an adult that I am a person that thrives in relationships. I want a few close people to lean on daily. As a 7th grader, that came out as clingy, but as an adult, I’ve had to remove that label and embrace the idea that I am a loyal friend.
Of course, that girl never meant to hurt me, but the comment stung. Words are so powerful. How we allow them to define us and how we use them. We have to ask God daily for the grace required to guard our mouths so we are life givers and not spirit crushers.
4. Live with Humility
Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Pride is so sneaky. It’s so hard for us to live daily in the reality that we do not have the power we need for righteous living on our own. We are each called to trust the Lord so he would provide the strength we need to follow his ways.
The Israelites were constantly thinking they knew better than the Lord. Remember that golden calf episode? Basically, the second Moses went out of sight, they started creating and worshiping their own gods because they thought they knew better than the living God that had visibly led them out of their captivity.
Sometimes we read these stories incredulously, thinking we’d never be so foolish to turn away from God that quickly, but how often do we remember to pray first when we face an obstacle in our lives? We more readily worship the God of hard work, creative problem-solving, independence, wealth, entertainment, and more. I know I’m so guilty of this.
Humble living is tough but it’s one of the most important parts of holy living. We can’t please the Lord on our own. Step one to a holy and pleasing life is humbly surrendering our lives over to him on a daily basis in obedience to His Word. Not our will be done but his alone!
God’s grace is sufficient for all our needs, but it’s not to be abused. We have to choose to follow his path, and then he promises to gently lead us toward Heaven. Holiness is a part of Christian living, and no matter how trendy a sin becomes, God’s Word is the truth and standard for our lives. Surrendering our desires to him is what is required for us to follow his way.
Photo Credit: ©Thinkstock/mheim3011
