Caught in the Act
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 NLT
I do not like this feeling and I have experienced it many times in my life! Oh my! We know we shouldn’t do it and we are tempted to say, “The devil made me do it!” However, we know that is not the truth, is it?
There are times when I just want to be defiant and somehow, I lose sight of the consequences. Yes, I can rationalize with the best of them but the truth always comes out. For me, hiding my actions causes more disruption than admitting my guilt and getting beyond it.
Have you ever had that feeling like you are being watched? No, this is not a ‘who dun it’ kind of feeling. It starts when you participate in something in which you have no business being involved (ethnic jokes, political slandering, a quick money-maker, serving roasted preacher after church, etc.). I get an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. If I ignore it, the feeling grows to a distressing level and I can almost hear an audible voice in my head saying, “What are you doing?” Could that possibly be the voice of the Holy Spirit? When I still disregard the voice, it is no longer any fun and I am out of the game.
Sin can be fun! There is no question about it. Whether it is the adrenaline high, imagery or any of the other senses, if it did not bring some kind of pleasure, no one would be tempted.
What happens when we get caught? I guess that depends on what we’re doing. Sin always costs something! In the picture above, it will cost a new sofa. It may cost our reputation, our job, our relationships or our trust level. This question always seems to pop up, “Was it worth it?” A little white lie, a denial of feelings, a soured friendship, a lower credit score; I mean really, are those things enough to deter us from a little sin? I certainly hope so!
We have a loving and forgiving Father but he also gave us some guidelines for living and wants us to stay within the boundaries. When we are caught red-handed, perhaps the first thing to do would be ask for forgiveness and then apologize to the others involved. Who knows, our witnessing and sharing just might change someone else’s life.
Heavenly Father, help us to turn away from sin. Its more than the fear of getting caught, Lord, it’s all about disappointing You. Help us learn from our mistakes. AMEN.