Of all the consequences for sin, one of the most sinister is self-hatred. It’s just not worth it.
Job 42:6 “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent In dust and ashes.”
The world, the flesh, and the devil, will conspire together to lie, deceive and seduce the believer to sin. Only after the sin takes place, they unleash the painful truth.
Sin is awful. Sin destroys. The wages of sin is death. The sin was a violation against God who loves you so much; an attack against the Saviour died for you; a trespass against your wife, your children, your friends, and your fellow church members.
Satan will torment you with your wickedness. How could a child of God stoop so low to do this awful deed? Lies mixed with doubts and questions consume your mind. Are you even saved? Why should you even try to go on? You are a failure who will keep failing for the rest of your life. You might as well quit now.
[shareable]The next time you’re tempted, remember that if you give in, you will just hate yourself for it after the pleasure is gone. [/shareable]
This awful game of temptation and condemnation shows the diabolical nature of satan. He will work so hard to lead us away by our own lust encouraging us to sin and then persecute us with the truth that we already know. We should not have done it.
Every believer knows sin is wrong. When we choose to live in sin it creates a level self-hatred that the rest of the world can never know.
We hate the sin. We hate the consequences of the sin. We hate our adversary who temps us to send. And ultimately we hate ourselves for sinning. We hate ourselves for falling for the same old tricks. We hate ourselves for disappointing our Lord. We hate ourselves for betraying friends and family. And if we don’t get a handle on this sin and continue sinning, eventually we’ll hate even seeing ourselves in the mirror.
Christians that follow God have a different internal conversation. They receive confirmation from the Holy Spirit that they are the child of God. The Spirit will remind them that God does love them, but He is pleased with their sin. This gives the spiritual Christian a sense of great confidence in their lives and in God Who’s leading them. However, when a Christian chooses to sin, they forfeit that beautiful confirmation from God and start down the path of self-hatred.
It’s an unusual fact that most people don’t like themselves very much. I want to remind you this today that God loves you. He thought so much of you to die on the Cross and save you from your sin. He thought enough of you to plan out your life and recruit you on his team to partner with Him to save the world.
If you’re looking for self-worth you won’t find it by looking at your own goodness. The search for self-esteem is often a losing one. You discover your self-worth when you look at the Cross and see how precious you are in the eyes of God.
The next time you’re tempted, remember that if you give in, you will just hate yourself for it after the pleasure is gone.
It’s just not worth it.
[callout]“Lord, thank you for being patient with me. I’ve sinned against you so many times, yet you always forgive me through your mercy and grace. Protect me from temptation by reminding me of the awfulness of sin and the greatness of your love for me. I want to please you today. Amen.’ [/callout]
Read this devotional series from the beginning here.