How do people fall into sin? Through compromise, one step at a time.
Has compromise begun to infiltrate your life as a follower of Christ? It happens often when people have walked with the Lord for a time. When you’re in the first bloom of your relationship with Christ, this is not usually the issue. It’s when you’ve known the Lord for a time and you’re beginning to be weakened by certain things.
Here are some questions to think about as you consider areas that may be compromised.
Practical Principles
- Does it build you up spiritually or does it tear you down? Let’s say you’re running in a race. Is this thing you are carrying a wing or is it a weight? Will it slow you down?
- Does it bring you under its power? You don’t want to be under the control of anyone or anything except Jesus Christ.
- Do you have an uneasy conscience about it? Just because someone else does something, that doesn’t mean you should. You may know someone who does something as a Christian, and think, “Well, I can do that,” and all of a sudden it’s your downfall. You should not do anything that your conscience is uneasy about.
Relevant Reminders
- When you try to strike a deal with the devil, you’ll always be the loser. That is why the Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:27, “Never give the devil a stronghold.”
- Billy Graham once said (and I loosely paraphrase), “We’re not responsible for the past generation. We’re not fully responsible for the next generation. But God will hold us responsible for our generation.”
Applicable Actions
You have to draw a line like Moses drew a line. You have to say to the enemy, “We’re done here. You get nothing. I’m done with compromising,” and I believe the Holy Spirit will work in your heart and show you those areas that need to change. The Holy Spirit will show you areas of compromise in your life.
