Avoiding Prison

I was driving past our county jail the other day and I noted how long it was taking to build the new section.
A spiritual prison, too, can be erected very slowly, one sin at a time without a believer noticing.

Ensnarements happen slowly, beginning with a thought. Over time, unless these thoughts are eradicated, contemplation turns into action. With satan falsely promising happiness as the reward for giving in to temptation, sin gains strength through repetition until our conscience is finally overpowered. One morning we wake to find that the devil holds our will in bondage.

But we can avoid spiritual chains. Our first step is accept two basic truths: all sin enslaves, and bondage begins in the mind. We can't maintain a healthy relationship with the Lord while indulging sin. When a wrong thought creeps into our consciousness, we have the choice to expel it or embrace it. Through the Holy Spirit, every believer has the power to change his mind.

A second step is to ask ourselves, Is the pleasure of this sin worth the consequences of being imprisoned? Inevitably, the answer must be no.

Third, we order our life according to God's Word. Make the choice to place yourself in bondage to the Father because we find true freedom in Him. His Word trains us to recognize wrongdoing and expel it from our hearts.

Talk to Him always.