There’s an old tale about a peasant who was working in his field during the spring. As the ground began to thaw, he noticed a snake. He raised his shoe to kill it, but the snake begged for compassion. ‘I’m to frozen to do you any harm,’ the snake whined. ‘Please don’t kill me.’
The old farmer took pity on the snake, picked up the half-dead reptile, and put it inside his overalls next to his chest. He continued to hoe his field, and the snake got warmer and warmer as the day progressed. Suddenly, the snake bit the farmer.
The man frantically reached inside his overalls, pulled the serpent out, and threw it to the ground.
‘Why?’ the peasant asked. ‘I believed you. I befriended you. I saved your life and trusted you.’
‘True!’ the reptile hissed as it slid away. ‘But don’t blame me! You knew I was a snake when you picked me up.’
Many people fall into the easy trap of picking up sin, befriending it, and even holding it close to their heart. We can work overtime to dress it up or give it another name, but sin will always be sin. We can make excuses and rationalize why we carry it around with us, but again ... sin is sin. And eventually – if we don’t confess it with a repentant heart – it will kill us.
Is it possible to know if you have sin in your life? Absolutely! God will work through his Holy Spirit within you to let you know something in your life isn’t right. If you ask God with sincere heart to point out any unconfessed sin in your life, he’ll do exactly that. And he’ll be very specific, so you won’t have to second-guess him.
But we often become so comfortable with sin in our lives; we don’t bother asking God to point it to us. That’s a dangerous place for a Christian to live! It’s like sleeping through a storm. When God allows the lightning to flash into your soul, don’t snooze through it. Allow His Holy Spirit to wake you up and bring to your attention those things in your life that are keeping you from becoming all He wants you to be!
(Hebrews 10:26) If we go on sinning after we have learned the truth, no sacrifice can take away our sins.
(James 4:17) Whoever knows what is right but doesn't do it is sinning.
(1 Peter 3:18) This is true because Christ suffered for our sins once. He was an innocent person, but he suffered for guilty people so that he could bring you to God. His body was put to death, but he was brought to life through his spirit.
(Revelation 22:18) I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy in this book: If anyone adds anything to this, God will strike him with the plagues that are written in this book.
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