MY PIVOTAL MOMENT
“If you [Cain] do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7
After Cain brought a grain offering, one that God did not accept, it was not too late for him. Sinning against God didn’t close the door for restoration.
God’s question to Cain reminds him that if he ‘now’ brings an acceptable blood sacrifice, all will be well.
God does not leave his instruction there. The wisdom that follows resounds down through the ages and lands at the door of my heart. “Christine, you’ve sinned. Now what will you do? Sin wants to consume you but you must rise up to master it. Will you repent or allow your sin to progress to the next level?”
What I do at the pivotal point of temptation is crucial. Satan tempts me but he can’t make me sin. He makes false promises but I should know better. I should know by now where his options lead. He offers me a quick way out of pain but the long-term pain I will be taking on is never mentioned. The proposition of feeling better, enjoying something, getting out of confinement and ending my dilemma, are so appealing that I fail to wait on God. I trade His promises for the fodder of a liar.
Cain’s improper sacrifice was exposed. Instead of being humbled, he got angry. Satan tempted him to take revenge, to spend his anger in order to feel better. He killed his brother in rage and jealousy, the one who had made the right sacrifice. Thus began a holy war that is still being played out. No disagreement has the potential to spawn more hostility than a religious one.
Satan is a roaring lion, crouching at my door. His desire is for me. But I can, through the grace of the Spirit, rule over him. Jesus, at Calvary, put Satan forever under His feet. As I take up the authority Jesus promised, he is also under mine, if I so choose.
When my emotions are hot, I will step back, get alone with you, and do nothing until Your Spirit leads me. Amem.
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Tuesday, 25 February 2020.
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