Don't be a stinkin' sinner.

I'm pretty big on God teaching people lessons in all areas of their life. Anything that happens in your day can be used as a lesson. For example.... Last night. I was putting Joseph down for bed and I instantly realized why parents leave their child in cribs for a long time. He kept getting up. Mind you, my son has a full-size bed at this point because he sleeps like his father. Tossing and turning. Spinning in circles. This is why we have a California king. I digress. Joseph.

Joseph kept getting up and running to the light switch and turning it off and on. Off and on. Off and on. I sat up and stopped him and laid him back down and said, "No." This went on for 15 minutes, kid you not. My child fight sleeps like the west virginia ninja fights off flies in his sleep. After 15 minutes I was thinking, "God, help! I want my son to go to sleep so I can get in bed and go to sleep. But I don't want to keep laying him down and getting beat up."

He stopped me. He likes to teach me lessons when I complain. So I want to share it with you.

Over and over God will tell us no. Unlike me, He doesn't put up a fortress of barricades. God is a gentleman. He tells us, no, but he gave us free will. He wants us to obey him because we want to, not because we have to. God is not forceful. Will there be consequences if we aren't obedient? Yes, absolutely. If you are a parent and you tell your child no, but they do it anyway. Aren't their punishments involved? Yes. God isn't going to smack you on the hand and say, "It's okay hunny, you will get it next time." He says NO because he means NO. If you have a pet, and they constantly are licking an electrical outlet. Wouldn't you tell them no? Or reprimand them for not listening? Of course, you would! You wouldn't want your pet to get electrocuted. God is this way too. God is telling us NO for a reason. 

Whatever it is in your life that God has been telling you no about, it's for a good reason. It's not because he wants to be a "Fun sucker." There is a reason. Now I could sit here and say, stop calling that girl that God keeps telling you not to. Or don't stalk that instagram account that God told you not to. Stop going to that website or that store. But I'm not. Because I feel like we hear that a lot.

I'm not talking about the sin that you did one time and walked away from. I'm talking about that habitual sin that you CONSTANTLY commit no matter how hard you try not to. That's what I'm talking about. Something you KNOW is wrong, but you don't let go of. Paul talks about this in Romans 7:15-25. He describes the process. I like to call it the 'merry-go-round' sin. The sin that you have been secretly struggling with for 15 years or more. 

Like Joseph, you could keep going back to the sin and listen to God tell you no. OR you can give it up, like he eventually did, and find rest. I'm not saying that it's a process that will happen overnight because it won't. I'm saying that you have to WANT to be obedient to God more than you want to commit that sin. It's not easy. I know that! You have to make the choice to draw a line in the sand and move on. Or you have to continue to wallow in your mud pit. One thing about pigs that wallow in a mud pit.... they don't know that they stink. If you wallow in it too long, you will start finding excuses for it. And that is a very dangerous spot to be in. 

Don't be a pig. Get out of your pit. Clean off. Move on! I have faith in you and I'm praying for you.