DECEMBER 20, 2025 ~ FROM A PASTOR'S HEART

DECEMBER 20 DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READING: 2 CORINTHIANS 7:1

We fool ourselves if we think we can mess with sin and handle it. When we play with sin, it is not we who are handling it, but it is sin that is handling us. We have all probably made statements like, "oh, I can do this, or look at this, or watch this and it has no effect on me." That is not true...even if we try to fool ourselves into believing it is true. Sin is always destructive...ALWAYS! We place ourselves in a dangerous place when we play with sin. The Scripture tells us that we are to flee from sin...to keep ourselves from the very appearance of evil...to not entertain even the thought of doing what is contrary to God. The Bible never tells us, "You can handle this...go ahead." We are called to walk in the holiness of Christ. He saved us for this purpose. And I must always remind myself that I must walk in that holiness, even when no one else knows. For what we do when no one else sees us is just as destructive.

There is another important reason we are to walk in holiness and not in sin...and that is because of others. We are to refrain from sin and walk in righteousness because our walk impacts other people. It has an influence on other believers who are in the same walk and need our walk to encourage and strengthen them. It also has impact on non-believers, who have yet to trust Christ. How will they know the reality of Jesus' power to save and change, if they don't see it in our walk? We never sin in a vacuum...our sin always touches others, even the sins that no one sees. The Apostle Paul said that he would not do anything that might cause someone to stumble, even if he did not personally see anything wrong with the action. We do not live for ourselves...others are important and we need to live and walk in such a way that brings them toward the Lord. We should want to walk in holiness...staying as far away from sin as possible...and when it tries to tempt us to walk in it, we stand in the power of the Holy Spirit of God!

Please share your thoughts.