That was the first recorded conversation we read in the bible between God and Eve’s firstborn son. (Gen. 4:6-7) As I pointed out yesterday, it’s also the first time we see the word ‘sin’ in the bible. What an interesting picture used here, where ‘sin...is lurking or crouching at your door’. Another tidbit of insight we are offered regarding this thing called ‘sin’...is that if we don’t master it, it will master us.
Then we read through the rest of this book (as in the whole bible) that details quite a long history of how sin did indeed continue to crouch, enter, seize, and control generations of people. And the consequences of it was never pretty. Ever. Sin brings death...it brings destruction and captivity...it brings heartache and shame and it brings separation from God. (Isa. 59:2)
Let me also clarify that ‘sin’ is not just ‘missing the mark’ which is a common and poetic definition that seems easy on the soul to digest. Sin is breaking God’s law. (1 John 3:4). A law, I might add, that still stands today. But God who is longsuffering towards us and not willing that any perish seemed willing and even eager to help us overcome this tendency to stray and sin and allow our hearts to harden. He was constantly sending deliverers to His people in captivity to set them free.
Then came Jesus...the ultimate Deliverer...God Himself wrapped in humanity and was willing to lay down His life to settle the score once and for all. His death on the cross atoned for all the sins of mankind and it was in ‘dying’ that enabled His power to raise us up with Him to walk as a new creation in Him...free from sin and death and condemnation. Sin leads to captivity which is why Jesus came to destroy its power and set us free from sin. (John 8:32-36)
Yet for some reason, we strayed again. (John 6:66) And as well documented...most folks just didn’t buy it. Hard to understand...that so many people just love darkness more than light and will not come to the light lest their deeds of evil be exposed. (John 3:19-20)
But to those who did receive Him...He gave them the right to become...children of God’. (John 1:11-2; Rom. 8:14). But you have to: Come - To - Him.
And if/when you do, you might want to stick around and continue on with Him. I’m talking about...abiding In Him. It truly is a place of peace and rest that you sense and experience inwardly. Perfect peace, in fact, as Isaiah would explain it. (26:3). A peace that ‘passes all understanding’ Paul would later describe it as. (Phil. 4:6) This ‘peace’ was the way in which God’s Spirit would lead and guide us, (John 14:27) ...as in a ‘pathway of peace’. (Luke 1:79)
I don’t want to get bogged down trying to explain what this peace ‘feels like’ so consider this...if a young child asked you how they will know when the ‘fall in love’...you would most likely smile and tell them...”Oh...you will know!”
Same thing with His peace.
It’s also a place of ‘rest’. Jesus promised us this ‘rest’ if we would ‘come to Him.’ (Matt. 11:28-29). And the writer of Hebrews even warned us to ‘fear lest any of us seem to have come short of it.” (4:1). Yeah...that took me awhile to sink in and understand.
When a person comes to Jesus with their whole heart, it is with the understanding that Jesus now is Lord and Master. And just as His love for us is unconditional, so must our coming to Him be as well. When we repent...and turn to Him with our whole heart, something supernatural takes place. First of all, make note as to what was ON us and IN us before we turned to Him. - John 3:36 and Eph. 2:1-2 make it pretty clear.
The moment we surrender all...God sets His ‘hedge’ around us and we are enveloped in His peace. Satan is no longer master and calling the shots in your life like he was, prior to you coming to Jesus. (1 John 5:19). And be encouraged...there is not a demon in hell, nor a legion of them, that can keep you from running to Him when you are serious about being set free! Just read the story of the demoniac of the Gadarenes in Mark 5:1-20 :- )
Now it’s important to note that just because you have turned and surrendered to Him, this does not suggest your heart has been made pure and all is well in the world. But you certainly are in a much better place than you were before...that I can promise you. This is just the beginning of this walk where His Spirit will lead you in this path of peace and rest as you ‘go in to possess the land’; much like the Israelites did in the OT. And there are some ‘evil nations’ that need to come off the land (your heart). But it will be God who does this, not you; yet following and obeying Him strongly advised. (Heb. 5:9; Luke 6:46) I should also note that as long as you continue to abide in Him, those ‘spirits on the land’ are disarmed and neutralized which is how one can continue to walk and ‘not sin’. (1 John 3:6) Yep...read that last line again.
God uses this picture of a vineyard and how we are now His ‘field’. (1 Cor. 3:9) Do you know what the first thing God does when He starts on a vineyard? He builds a hedge around it. (Matt. 21:33). We learn some very valuable truth about what a hedge does in Job 1-2. It keeps out predators and the like. (Think in terms of Satan and the powers of darkness). And as long as we are following His Spirit...guess what...the evil one can’t touch you. His words, not mine. (1 John 5:18). When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies be at peace with him. (Prov. 16:7). I bet Deut. 12:8-10 will encourage you as well. ;- )
Here's the beauty of abiding in Him...and walking on this ‘pathway of peace’. As you learn to ‘set your mind on things above and not the earth’ (Col. 3:2) you will find the things of this earth begin to grow ‘strangely dim’ as that old song says. And you are not preoccupied with keeping commands and laws or watching out for demons or trying to stay busy to ‘please God’. You truly are at rest in Him...as in a ‘Sabbath rest’ where you ‘cease from your works’. (just planting that seed for now - Heb. 4:10)
But one does need to be mindful that ‘sin still crouches at the door’. As you begin to allow the Spirit to cleanse the land (your heart) of all the sinful deeds of the flesh nature (Gal. 5:19-21; Mark 7:21-23) there will be a ‘putting to death’ of these ‘things’. (Rom. 8:13) Can I just call them what they are? They are spirits of greed and lust and demons of anger and pride and envy and...well...you get the idea. We really don’t know all that resides in our sinful hearts, but God does. (Jer. 17:9-10). This process of clearing the land is also known as ‘sanctification’ or, making us pure and holy, which is what Jesus came to do. Also - this is NOT...an option. This is the ‘will of God’. (1 Thess. 4:3). We also know that ‘not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’, enters the kingdom but he who DOES the will of the Father in heaven’. (Matt. 7:21)
Now it would also be beneficial to be reminded of what Jesus taught in Matt. 12:43-45...that when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he seeks a place of rest and when he finds none, he returns to the ‘house’ that he was removed from. (Your sinful heart). Jesus also taught us that “if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.”(Matt. 24:43)
So...as we follow Jesus...we are walking in His peace as we abide in Him. Can I just tell you that this place of rest and peace is life changing. But that does not mean there is not a ‘war’ out there and tests and temptations that you WILL encounter. But fear not...we are told when we face these test to ‘count it all joy’. (James 1:2-4). Because this is an opportunity to demonstrate to God that we love Him with ALL our heart. And He uses these tests to expose or reveal what is in our hearts so that they can be repented of and removed from the ‘land’. Look at that verse there in James 1:4. What is the result of this test ...that you will be what...? Perfect and complete? Hmm.
I believe Jesus said something about us being ‘perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect’ also. (Matt. 5:48) Also (Rom. 8:28-29; Col. 1:19-23)
So what is happening now? Satan the tempter wants back in...or access back into your heart. Which is why he tries to tempt you with those ‘old things’ that use to control you. Let’s use ‘anger’ as an example. Remember what God asked Cain? Why are you so angry? I personally, use to let little things just irritate the fire out of me...anger me...and could so quickly ruin my morning if not the whole day. And my gosh...have you ever seen so much anger today manifested everywhere? If you are on any form of social media you cannot avoid it. We hear about ‘road rage’ and political division and cultural divides and just so much ugliness abounds.
God allows us to be tested to expose that ugliness within. When we acknowledge, confess, and repent of a particular sin, it is in that moment that the blood of Jesus brings cleansing and removes that ‘spirit of anger-rage-outburst of wrath-irritation’ that use to control us. You know what I’m talking about. Then, once it is gone...it will try to come back. This is where you stand in His grace in your time of need (Heb. 4:15-16) and you simply ‘suffer and die’ by refusing or denying your flesh to respond in anger. God gives you just enough grace in that time of testing where you can stand and resist the devil...but your flesh will suffer just a bit. This is the kind of suffering God is pleased with and we have been called to do. (1 Pet. 4:1-2,12) (I sure hope you read these verses I give you)
And after you have ‘suffered a little while’, the God of all grace will come and strengthen, establish, and ...perfect you.” (1 Pet. 5:8-10). Oh...and what happens to that demon that was crouching at your door wanting back in? He has to flee. You just now demonstrated to God that you love Him...more than that old spirit of anger and rage and such. Check out Luke 4:12-14.
One last note for today...in the early stages of this new walk of faith and abiding...should you stumble...and open the door to sin and mess up...you will know it right away. God ‘lowers the hedge’ and you will lose your peace. Trust me. This...is how He ‘chastens’ us. (Heb. 12:7-15). But He does this because He loves us and has so much more in store for us. IF He truly has your heart...you will learn quickly. ;-). When you confess that sin and repent of it...He forgives you...the hedge comes back up and peace is restored. Just don’t do that one again! ;-). Tomorrow?
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