Sin at its core is deception. Satan deceives us into participating in his lies. We fight sin just like any other lie, by putting up the truth and exposing it to the Light. The Truth and lies can't exist in the same place.
Satan chooses deception to get to us instead of a flat out lie because it is a distortion of the truth which makes it is easier to believe. The danger comes when there are parts of us, our lives, which are not exposed to the Light. God cannot be compartmentalized. If we leave him out of any area of our lives, we are giving Satan wiggle room. I don’t want him having any wiggle room; I want him pinned down.
If we don’t want to be deceived, we have to be on alert and constantly exposing ourselves to God’s light. Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” That word acknowledge is the Hebrew word “yada” which means, “to know with certainty as with intimate friends”. David constantly speaks in Psalms of being found innocent and being true. He speaks of his righteousness and upright heart. How could he say these things? David was not a man without sin; he knew that. He could say them because he kept in fellowship with God, they had an intimate relationship. He did not let time pass without God searching his heart; every part of his heart was exposed to God. Open communication in the form of frequent prayers keeps us in step with God. We fall into trouble when we stray from that dependence.
David had intimate knowledge of falling out of step with God. He fell out of step with God and He fell into some serious sin. David’s relationship with God fell out of step because he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He didn’t suddenly fall into sin one night on a rooftop. David took his eyes off God and fell idle. He stopped actively seeking to keep instep with God. 2 Samuel 11:1 says, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing” (italics mine). Did you notice the phrase, “when the kings go out to war”? It’s what kings do, they lead the troops. David didn’t go to battle. Not only that, he was apparently sleeping until afternoon; that doesn’t sound like a man who is meditating on God’s law day and night (Psalm 1:2). He quit. He became idle, and if there is one thing I have learned, it’s that an idle mind is ripe for an idol. David put down his sword both physically and metaphorically, and Satan took full advantage of it. Just like David, if we stay engaged in our battle, our eyes are less likely to wander.
I have always been fascinated by David’s courage and the stories of his mighty men. They accomplished mighty feats and followed David loyally. There is a verse I love in 2 Samuel 23. It speaks of one of David’s mighty men in battle who was so focused and driven during the battle, he fought for so long that his sword stuck to his hand. He literally couldn’t put it down. “He rose and struck down the philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword.” (2 Samuel 23:10). That word clung is the Hebrew word “dabaq” which means to join together or hold fast. The first time I read this verse, I thought to myself, “That’s it! That is how I am going out, with my hand frozen to my Bible.” I want to wield it so well that it is an extension of me. Keeping the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, in your hand is the best offense against sin.
If we aren’t engaged in a battle against sin, we can be sure that sin is still advancing. Satan doesn’t take breaks. When David put down his sword, he paid dearly for it. This was out of character for David, and the lesson we should learn from that is that we are all capable of more than we imagine. Let that knowledge keep us vigilant, hands frozen to our swords.
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