Sin takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to say and costs you more than you want to pay

I don’t know the source of this saying but I know by personal experience that it is true. Our society does not want to talk about sin, but even if we talk about poor choices the same is true. It was designed that way. As the NJKV version of Genesis 3:17 has it it was for our sake that the earth was cursed. In other words God ordained that the pain of our poor choices would cause us to come to our senses and return to Him.

It can take a while. I know in my own case, the Lord had to pull the rug out from under my feet a number of times before I was willing to examine my life to try and figure out what was not working. Einstein put it way “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.” The prodigal son had to get so low that he, a Jew, was willing to eat pigswill before he “came into his right mind.” If we are still stuck we need to ask ourselves “Have I suffered enough yet?” If we are walking in victory, we need to guard against the danger of falling (1 Corinthians 10:12). The memory of the consequences of our poor choices can help keep us on the straight and narrow. We will not attain the abundant life any other way!

Father help me when I am tempted to remember the consequences of my sin and of my poor choices. It is true that You forgive and cleanse when we confess, but sometimes the consequences linger. Thank You that you bring us through that anyway. I love Your Mercy and Grace Lord. In Jesus name.