There’s
an old Bob Newhart video clip where he plays a psychiatrist. A woman walks in, takes a seat and begins to tell him about her
phobia: being buried alive in a box. They soon decide she’s claustrophobic. The
psychiatrist’s advice is two words, “Stop it.” Later, she names other problems.
She’s bulimic, has self-destructive relationships with men, and is afraid to
drive. The psychiatrist’s advice? “Stop it.” (He said it was okay she washed
her hands a lot.) The sketch is funny and not meant to be taken seriously.
It got me thinking about real problems. Of
course, this woman’s claustrophobia, bulimia, self-destructive relationships,
and fear of driving would take time and therapy for her to work through them.
People need help with these things.
But, I started thinking about sins—wrong
habits.
What
do we do when we’re confronted with our own sin habits?
Let’s take one example. You are reading
your Bible: Jesus said unto them, If God were
your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither
came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my
word. Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the
father of it (John
8:42-44). The Holy Spirit reminds you that you lie a
lot. You twist truth at work. You misrepresent your company’s product. You have
no problem telling untruths in order to get people to buy. Now, you realize
you’ve been dishonest and that God clearly says lying comes from the devil.
The first step of taking care of your sin
is to acknowledge it to yourself and to God. Call it what it is; lying is sin.
Then you confess it to God in prayer, If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Jesus
wants us to confess our sins and get clean. This passage was written to
Christians and speaks of cleansing after salvation. In order to live forgiven
and with a clean conscience, we need to go to the Lord when we sin.
There’s another aspect of
repentance and cleansing. It’s the Christian’s determination to “stop it,” not
to sin any more. It
is what God wants. He wants Christians to act like redeemed people, to serve
Him and be a good testimony. Let’s look at some of these “stop it” passages:
- Afterward Jesus findeth him (the very ill man at the Pool of Bethesda, that Jesus healed) in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more (John 5:14a).
- She (the woman caught in adultery) said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more (John 8:11).
- Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof (Romans 6:12).
- And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5:24).
- Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22).
- Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (Titus 2:12).
Back
to the point of our illustration: Wherefore
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are
members one of another (Ephesians 4:25). Just stop the lying!
How
can this be practical? The next time you’re with a client, and you feel compelled
to lie, stop yourself and speak truth instead. You can pray a short prayer,
“Help me, Lord, to speak truth and not lies.” Then, do right. The next time a
lie comes to mind, stop it, and replace it with truth.
A
long time ago, a friend shared with me that in her home country, it’s
considered bright to lie and dumb not to. It’s like it’s only the ingenuous
person who doesn’t lie. So, she grew up making up stories. She had to remember
them and add to them. As a result, when she was born again, she had a fight on
her hands. Every time she began to say something, she was tempted to lie. She
had to learn to cut out the stories and tell the truth.
It’s a process, but it needs to
be a determined process. Tempted to sin? Yes. Then, stop it! Just stop sinning. Ask
God to help you catch temptations and substitute good works for bad. Ask the
Lord to make you aware and watchful. If you slip, call sin what it is and go to
the Lord for cleansing.
If
you have an addiction problem and need counseling, please get help. Get an
accountability partner. Get the help you need.
Cut
sin out of your life.
Stop it!
Whosoever
is born of God doth not (habitually) commit
sin;
for his
seed remaineth in him:
and he
cannot sin, because he is born of God.
(1 John 3:9)
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