THE LIES YOU TELL YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR SIN

 

By Nyakuni Solomon

When I look at the rate at which familes are being destroyed by adulterous sexual relationships, wild lifestyle  of alcoholism, night clubbing, shisha smoking, drug abuses, thuggery, violences against women and children, laziness, idleness and godlessness, my heart goes out to men. My own story of failure in this area of moral integrity, responsible exemplery parenting and faithful husbanding deepens my desire and hunger for men to rise above the tide to stand counted as men of God, fully committed in their calling into priestly leadership, protection, provision and care for families.

I could say men world over need this reminder, but if my voice could be any louder, I would love to see this revival in my region of this Country. As one who comes from West Nile, I see the moral degradations, the abundonment issues, the savage lifestyles among the younger generation of men and all percieve is doom for the future families in my region. Before you think I am making an exergerated claim; the independence reported that "Over 3000 girls got pregnant during the lockdown in 2021" . Teenage pregnancy rate in  West Nile alone stands at 37%. More than 70% of criminal offences according to the UBS are committed by youth.

 

These are just but the tip of the iceburg for the reality of issues this brings to households generationally. My pain goes to these girls because they will be abandoned with their children, whose life in misserable beginning will continue to be second to best as they struggle to find their identities in the already flawed culturally entrenched problems of broken families, poverty stricken households, and generally averagely exposed society.

Needless to say, this is a widespread problem in different parts of this Country. The perpetrators of these vices are the men who themselves have never experienced the level of parenting, mentorship, training and exposure it takes to make responsible and godly men. Consequently, the social let alone the emotional, ecomonical and spiritual implications of these reckless behaviours live long after many such men are gone, for they can't live long since their lifestyle alone ends their lives early. It begs the question, why could such behavoural patterns survive for so long without crying out for help? What are we doing wrong as men amidst all the Christianity and faith talk we have been exposed to? How come our Christianity has not influenced our behaviours, let alone strenghened our resolves to resist sin? In the diagnosis of these problems I propose satan has disguised sin in our conscience to keep us from responding to the warnings of Scripture.  It is the failure of our faith to influence our cultural life that we see these decays. It is these lies about our sins that we have long told ourselves which have covered the naked truths behind our sinful behavioural patterns and their enduring consequences. What are these lies? 

To say, I will repent later is a determined resistance to immediate obedience of God for selfish pleasures and desires or life outside of God

  I do it because I have been cursed; Most times we turn to the past to figure out the cause of our present state of suffering. This is a good practice, to discover trends, that may have brought upon us the present state. However, how we dig this past and the conclusions we draw from those outcomes matter. In my area, for most people in asking why things are the way they are, we turn to curses, bad omens or what an elder might have said in anger, or what cultural obligations and rituals we might not have fulfilled as the source of the problem. How possible can you relate the practice of lusting, stealing, adulterating, lying, fornicating, figting, drunkardness with what an elder might have said about you? We need to ask ourselves if it could be true that any human being can curse you to sinful behaviours?

I do it because I have been bewitched; 

Closely related to curses is the idea of witchcraft. Apparently there are vast traditional beliefs we have around the bad things that happen to us including our sinful behaviours. Witchcraft is a reality in our culture and witches do operate in the power of evil to cause harm. But when you lean towards the idea that you are now under a witchdoctors control to not be able to resist the sin tendencies and practices, and walk in perpetual disobedience, then you are deceived. Again I ask does a witchdoctor have power to keep one under the power of sin without the personal exertion of ones’ effort towards the sinful practices.

3.     I am still enjoying myself, I will repent later; This might be the lie that is slaying men in tens and thousands, both believers and none believers. To say, I will repent later is a determined resistance to immediate obedience of God for selfish pleasures and desires or life outside of God. It is the choice that says the benefits of my sinning is much better than the fruit of obeying and loving God now. What is the guarantee that sin is not hardening you from the possibility of turning to God? Do you not know that the hour of Salvation is called today? It is Now, when you are being warned. Now is when you should hear the invitation, now is when you should open the door of your heart and let convictions into repentance be birthed in your heart.  

4.      I do it because I am helpless and too weak to resist it. This may be the biggest lie we tell ourselves inclusive of believers in our struggle with sin. Sometimes the level of our spiritual struggles as believers make us come to the conclusion that our sins are more powerful than the power of God at work in us. But is it really? This may be true with the none believer who has no such help of the Holy Spirit but surely not with the believer. For the none believer, I say you are right, you need the help of God to help you out of your sin. To the believer I say wake up! Wake up! wake up! You are not helpless; you may be weak but your weapons of warfare are Mighty through Christ Jesus! Your spiritual and angelic help are ever present.

5.      I do it because I am under grace; This last lie is the most disturbing one because it builds on the foundation of the core blessing of salvation; that is the grace. We have heard it over preached today that, by the grace of God we have been pardoned forever; our past, present, and future sins. We have been united with Christ and therefore Christ lives in us and the life we now live is in the spirit. This is all true about the spiritual resources and benefits of our salvation. But the conclusion that we are now free to sin because grace is sufficient is a reflection of our misconception and abuse of this gift. Paul asks, should we then continue to sin so that grace may abound? By no means! We have died to sin or should consider ourselves dead to feeling obligated to obey the desires of our sinful nature (Romans 6:1-2). Otherwise, the grace of our God has appeared bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. (Titus 2:11-12)

What do these lies have in common?

They are all a reflection of wilful sinning behaviour; typical patterns in the unconverted heart! The question that should come to mind is if we are really genuine believers, who are eagerly working out our salvation with fear and trembling, and doing our very best to make our election and calling sure by the way we live? 

The warnings of Scripture are clear 

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” (Hebrews 10:26-27) 

“For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient”. (Ephesians 5:5-6) 

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming”. (Colossians 3:5-6) 

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son”. (Hebrews 12:15-16)

Conclusion

Beloved don’t risk missing out on your eternal destiny because you love the world. Don’t risk the wrath of God because it is a terrible day, that will not be fun for Satan, sin, death and all who deliberately reject God now. Don’t risk that hardening by sin that becomes impossible for repentance or turning from sins gripping power to God. Sin has done enough harm to your life now, you cannot surely allow it to ruin your eternity too brothers!