When I was pastoring my campus fellowship years ago, I would have some younger students in fellowship behaving funny around sisters; hugging and stuff like that. I would caution them but it looked like I was being unnecessarily strict. Later, they would come for counselling and prayers over the sin of maturbation. But I knew where their problem came from.
Friend, you need to learn to deal with sin. The Bible clearly states that sinning is a process, not a sudden occurrence (James 1:13-15). Most times, what you call sudden fall is not sudden fall. It is a gradual fall unnoticed or unchecked. It was not the time that Cain killed Abel that it all started. Sin has been lying at his door (Genesis 4:7).
What most people don’t realise is that the devil does not get you at once, he begins subtly. By the time most people wake up to the reality of satan’s work, he has already finished his assignment (Matthew 13:24-28). The devil is strategic in his operations while most people are simply careless. Like Jesus, you need to expose and expel the devil (Luke 22:31-32).
Dealing with sin begins with gaining control over its power via the finished work of Christ (John 1:29). It continues with leveraging God’s grace in prayers to keep your flesh under (2 Corinthians 12:9). However, the real work is in daily discipline to ensure that you don’t make it easy for the devil to get you. We are told to resist the devil; we are not to assist him (James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8-9).
Temptation is not sin; falling into temptation is what is sin (Matthew 26:41, James 1:13-15). However, temptation does not come out of the blues. The devil often uses our weaknesses to tempt us (James 1:14). The devil knows which button to press to bring people down. Unfortunately, a lot of people simply explain their weaknesses away while dancing around fire (Proverbs 6:25-28).
You do not have an anointed flesh. Maturity is seen in being able to discipline your flesh to submit to the truth of God’s word in your spirit (1 Corinthians 9:27). It is not giving opportunity to the flesh to fulfil its lust (Romans 13:14). Like David, don’t take a break off spiritual disciplines with the assumption that you have outgrown them (2 Samuel 11:1-5). Assumption is dangerous.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria