Running From Sin

	Sign In Sign-Up

DAILY DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2002
(Genesis 39:12, 1 Peter 2:11)

She came and grabbed him by the sleeve demanding, "Sleep with me." He tore himself away, but as he did, his jacket slipped off and she was left holding it as he fled from the house.

Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls.

Running from sin. This may seem like an easy question, but think carefully before you answer. Do you run away from sin, or do you run TO sin? If you answer honestly, you will have to admit that there have been times in your life when you were guilty of running towards sin, or at least NOT running away when you saw sin coming. I have spoke in past Devotionals about the path of escape that God not only always provides, but promises! There is that instant, when your spiritual instincts are telling you exactly what to do. That my friend becomes YOUR moment of truth. Will you obey God and run away from sin? Or, do you ignore God and run to it, like the moth goes directly for the fire!

In today's scripture, Joseph saw sin coming. Realizing his own human weakness, he literally ran from it. THERE IS NOTHING COWARDLY ABOUT RUNNING FROM SIN! Let me say this again. THERE IS NOTHING COWARDLY ABOUT RUNNING FROM SIN! As a matter of fact, it is an act of weakness and rebellion to God to NOT run from sin. It is like saying, "OK sin, here I am, powerless to stand up to you.. just run me over." Anyone can do that. It takes spiritual maturity to see sin coming and flee from it. The Bible even tells us to "flee from sin." It is an admonition that we need to take more seriously.

Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts.

The question becomes, why don't we run from sin? There are two answers to this. It is because we either, a) don't trust our spiritual instincts enough to "see" sin coming, or, b) we simply love the sin more than the Lord at that moment. That may sound harsh, but it is very true. Jesus told His disciples that if they loved Him, they would obey His commandments. As His disciples, we ultimately get the opportunity to show our love for Him often. It is usually in those cases when we have the opportunity to run from sin, or stay and indulge in it.

Remember the next time that you want to tell Jesus you love Him. Show Him by following His commandments. Show Him by RUNNING FROM SIN!

I love you and care about you very much. I realize that many of you are in difficult situations today because you have succumbed to sin's temptations, you stayed instead of running. Running is hard. It actually requires a supernatural strength that we only possess through Christ. Again, that is why that intimate daily relationship with Him is so critical to our daily walk. It not only strengthens us, but sharpens our spiritual instincts so we can see sin coming and run from it. I will be praying for you to really let these words today sink in.

For many, these are very difficult words, but necessary. They are said in love, to help you avoid falling into the traps the enemy sets for you. Let me leave you with this encouragement. God BLESSES obedience. Not only is it our most effective way of proving our love for the Lord, but a side benefit is God blesses our obedience. I am convinced that Joseph reaped the blessings of God for His obedience. What God did for Joseph, He will do for you. He gave Joseph the spiritual instincts to see sin coming, the strength to run from sin, and than blessed him for his obedience! Remember that the next time you see sin coming... and RUN!!!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now available via audio each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html. Click on "Search by Category", then locate DAILY DEVOTIONAL. I want to thank Ed Morando for making this service available for FREE to Liveprayer.com.

Are you Saved? If your answer is anything but a resounding yes, click here.

For live prayer and answers 24/7, whether you are Saved or not, visit LivePrayer.com. Someone is always there for you.

To view more inspiring Devotionals such as this one, or to search for one on a specific topic, check out the Devotional Archive.

To receive your own devotional each day, or to sign someone else up to receive these free inspired daily devotionals, have the e-mail address ready and visit the Free Devotional Signup page. Subscription can be cancelled at any time.

To view other inspirational websites, visit A Place Of True Inspiration And Hope on the Internet.

For your very own free website, please visit www.sinfree.net.

Questions or suggestions about this website should be directed to the webmaster.