Todays Reading Genesis 19-21
Focal Scripture: Genesis 19:16 “But he hesitated. Because of the LORD’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.”
But he hesitated. Very short sentence but a very powerful indictment. Lot has been warned that the wicked city he lived in was about to be destroyed. Lot himself even offered up his own daughters in a wicked display of sin. However, even in the midst of all of these problems God was going to offer a way out for Lot and his family. God was going to spare them from being destroyed with everyone else because of their sin. As the angels were leading them away he hesitated. He wanted to stay even though he knew what was about to happen to the city. Sin had a strong hold on him. Sin also can have a strong hold on us if we allow it to happen.
This story should serve as a strong reminder of what can happen to us when we allow sin a foothold. Even under dynamic and powerful opportunities to leave sin our heart will want to stay. If we truly search our hearts we know that sin is difficult to turn away from because we often find enjoyment in what we are doing. As believers we know that we are saved from the penalty of sin but we often struggle to live in light of our calling because of our wicked hearts. Our enemy knows what our struggle is and we come at us where we are the weakest. He wants us to hesitate and not follow God’s command in our lives.
My encouragement to you today is when God points out sin in your life, do not hesitate. Do exactly what Lot should have done. Run from it with all that you have. Run towards God and his safety. Know that sin will cause problems if you allow it to hang around. Don’t be a person who hesitates to run from sin. Be a person who is leading the race. Here a few things you can do to help you not hesitate when you need to run from sin.
- Admit that you do struggle with certain sins
- Have a person in your life who can and will call out sin in your life
- Talk about why you may hesitate to run away from certain sins
- Confess your sins and struggles to God
Know this if you are struggling. Our God has lots of patience with us when it comes to our sin. He demonstrates a lot of compassion with us by allowing us opportunities to give our all to him. Remember this, that God wants us to be All In with him. If we are all in with him we do not need to hesitate by running away from our sin. Be different than Lot. Surrender whatever is keeping you from being All In.
Tomorrow I will read Genesis 22-24
