The Checklist of Sin

Lamentations 5:16-17

“The crown has fallen from our head.  Woe to us, for we have sinned!  Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim..”

It happens all the time on playgrounds across the U.S. You see some kid who wants to join in the games but gets rejected because he’s not cool or part of the in crowd. He may even be slow or not athletic at all, and for that, he won’t get to play with the others.

On the playground of life, we carry our sins around like a backpack. Some are larger than others. Some sins are so large they have to be dragged around, while others are so small they can fit into a fanny pack. Yes, our sin is with us and on display for everyone to see at some point. When the Holy Spirit gets ahold of you, the sin in your life becomes very apparent. It’s like some bully on the playground is teasing you while he opens up your backpack full of sin and starts to mock and ridicule every little sin while everyone around you watches.

For the believer, sin has lost its luster, and it no longer has fun attached to it. When you become a Christian, you are free from the law of sin and death, but alive to Christ. Because of this, when you sin as a Christian, you feel enslaved by it again, and all the feelings of being enslaved come back.

The verses above reveal a checklist of emotions we go through in our time of sin. First up is the fact that you know you have sinned. The Holy Spirit has revealed an area you’ve compromised on. No doubt about it, you’ve screwed up, and in large fashion, I might say. The word “woe” should describe your state of mind at this point.

Next up, your heart becomes faint. You get dejected, and the joy you once knew is no longer around. It’s like someone sucked all the joy out of your living space and replaced it with “woe.”

Last, your eyes grow dim. The clear vision of the future, plans, relationships, and fun, seems to fade away into a dull blur, and you no longer see any future at all, just the moment you are in. This is the final state of sin. Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.”

I have good news for those of you who are in the middle of this pattern of woe. Jesus came to save you and give you a different perspective. The sin in your life is only revealed to you because the Holy Spirit is working in your life, so rejoice in that alone. God wants you to be holy in body, mind, and spirit, and since you’re being reminded of your sin, that means God has a better plan for you than letting you stay in the muck of sin.

Real faith in the Lord gets stronger when trials come. If your faith starts to wane and become shaky, it may be time for you to up your game. Drop the sin in your life and commit to following Jesus all the time, not just when it’s Sunday or when prompted by your Christian friends. Learn to recognize the “because of this” when you see it. It’s pointing to something you need to get rid of.

Prayer: Father, too often we minimize sin in our lives and let it get its foothold. This foothold becomes a platform, and the platform becomes a stronghold. I break those strongholds off my life in the powerful name of Jesus! I renounce all my addictions in Jesus’ name! I pray the Holy Spirit will fill me with the promises of the Word of God and teach me what Your Word says about me. I pray that we walk in the victory Christ gave us and stop letting Satan trick us into believing we will never get released from the burden of sin. I break off Satan’s hooks in my life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.