Sin is always with us. Since the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve violated God’s commandment, sin has been dominant on the earth. It will always be dominant because Satan tempts people with sin in such a way that makes it much more attractive to people than righteousness. He tempts with the attitude of “feel good” actions. When people sin and it causes them to feel good, they want more and more of it. Remember, Satan doesn’t tempt people softly and gently. He comes “as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He presents temptations with enough vim, vigor and vitality that he makes sin hard to resist. So much of our attraction to sin comes from being “in a rut,” and Satan is aware of that. He knows just how to get to those who are looking for something more to make them feel good. Everyone wants to “feel good.”
However, the physical “feel good” is what separated man from God in the Garden. When Satan tempted Eve in Eden, she succumbed because she “saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). Eve was sure that it would make her life much better. How wrong our desire to sin can be! Remember that Satan is “more subtle” (Genesis 3:1) than any other being. He knows how to get to you, and he’s crafty about doing it.
However, God has given men an “out” for sin; “He gives more grace” (James 4:6). God’s way is always better than Satan’s way. God expects us to “Submit yourselves to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:6). To overcome the power of Satan, one must be submissive to God and His will. Then, the devil will see that he has no power. Being submissive is more than lip service. It means that you submit your mind, soul and body to God. James continued with this thought in verse 8 as he wrote, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.” God is faithful and will take care of His people. He will provide strength to overcome temptations and hardships.
Mankind’s problem in dealing with sin is in not being able to separate physical and spiritual differences. Man wants to accept the two things as part of his being and feels that both are equal. That won’t ever work because “If any man loves the world [physical], the love of the Father [spiritual] is not in him.” John went on to say that “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). These are the three avenues through which Satan tempts mankind and brings about his fall.
Perhaps David felt as strongly as anyone ever has about the subject of man’s sin problem. Just listen to his wisdom in Psalm 37. “Trust in the Lord and do good; delight thyself in the Lord; commit thy way to the Lord and trust in Him; rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; cease from anger and forsake wrath; wait on the Lord and keep His way.” From the beginning, David had it all! He was a handsome young man who was given the care of his father’s sheep; he became the armor-bearer and musician to King Saul, and he was a valiant warrior. He married the king’s daughter, and he, himself, became a king. Worship of God was organized under his reign. Yet, with all of this favor bestowed upon him, David proved to be “human” after all as he committed adultery with Bathsheba. David repented deeply as he “fasted and lay all night upon the earth; neither did he eat bread” (2 Samuel 12). David fell prey to all three avenues of sin as he took Bathsheba. “Lust brings forth sin and when sin is finished, it brings forth death” (James 1:15). Keep Satan at bay and keep God in the forefront by exercising your faith in God—and feel good about it!
