AVOID SINS TRAPS
David was 49 years old when he was made king over Israel. God blessed and prospered all he did. The nation became wealthier and larger than it ever had been, or ever would be again. The Philistines, Moabites and Syrians were defeated. Israel’s armies were victorious in all their battles.
When everything was going well David, at age 53, decided to not go to war, as he should have, but to stay home. When a leader neglects his God-given responsibility trouble comes, and it did for David. David sinned with Bathsheba and sinned again trying to cover up his sin. There are lessons for us as leaders in this also.
For one thing, leaders should never neglect their responsibility, even when things seem to be going very well. Another lesson is that leaders are not exempt from temptation, in fact the more we try to follow Jesus the more our sin nature and Satan and his demons oppose us. So, instead of being exempt from temptation, we are hit all the more.
The sin with Bathsheba was a trap Satan has been setting up in David’s life for years. He had several wives. When he saw a woman he wanted, he would marry her and take her as another wife. Because he was the king, it was very easy for him to do. The problem was that Bathsheba was already married, but David took her for himself anyway. Satan sets traps for all of us. It may start as a small sin but gradually it grows. It could be lust, or greed, or pride. It may be jealousy, deception, anger or fear. Whatever it is, if we don’t have victory when it is small, the sin will grow until it destroys us!
Church leaders are especially open to some of these sins. Others admire and honor us. Women may treat pastors with more respect than own wives do. We can like the attention and want more of it. Soon we may start neglecting our duties at home and in ministry, and give in to temptation, like David did. Even if we never act on the temptation, if we allow pride or lust in our hearts, we are guilty of sin.
Never think that because God is using you as a leader and blessing your ministry that you can’t or won’t sin. We are human and will sin. That is not an excuse to allow sin. Rather it is to warn us and keep us alert. When we sin, we must admit it and confess it (1 John 1:9). David didn’t do that. He had a pattern of hiding and covering up sins in the past. That made it tempting to try to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. All that did was add more sin, including murder. He was far from God. The whole nation as well as his family suffered. Finally, he repented and was forgiven, but the nation never attained the heights it had before his sin. Sin may seem appealing when we are tempted but when we give in sorrow and misery follow. We WILL reap what we sow (Galatian 6:7-9).
What are the sins you aren’t having victory over in your life right now? Can you see them taking root and growing stronger? What are they? If you don’t know where you are weak, you are even more open to being defeated by these things. What must you do to have victory over them? Who can you go to for prayer, counsel, accountability and help to have victory? What can you learn from David’s sin?
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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