I’ve Seen This One Before

Ezekiel 22: 26-29

“Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can’t tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there’s no difference between right and wrong. They’re contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level. Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want. Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, “This is what God, the Master, says . . .” when God hasn’t said so much as one word. Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.”

My wife likes Hallmark movies. Yes, they are cheesy and predictable, but she says they are clean and have a good outcome most of the time. I’ve even watched quite a few myself. Within 10 minutes of every show, you can pick out the ones who, by the end, will be hopelessly in love. It’s a pattern that the Hallmark people have perfected and keep recreating with different people and different places, but the pattern never changes.

Did you know there is a pattern to the sinner? Yes, a pattern that has been tried and true for many years. This pattern of sin has been around a lot longer than Hallmark movies. If you walk with the Lord and are a Christ-follower in the truest sense of faith, then you’ve seen it. You can predict the players in no time. You can even predict the outcomes, and just like the Hallmark movies, it’s like you’re watching a slow fade into a trap of sin, and you’re the audience yelling at the screen, but the actors keep playing the role.

Here’s a quick rundown of this pattern:

1. There is no difference between sacred and secular. The line is blurred to the point that you don’t even recognize the difference.
2. There is no difference between right and wrong. In other words, you justify anything under the banner of acceptance and love.
3. There is no regard for honoring the Lord on any day, reducing the Lord to an everyday decision, like whether or not to get a frappuccino or a foam latte.
4. The people in charge tend to take whatever they want for whatever cause, abusing the rights of the common man.

The end result of all this is constant arguments and lawlessness, with the poor and needy being abused and the common person unable to find justice anywhere. These are the characteristics of sin in society. In the armed forces, you have to study your enemy, if you don’t, you won’t be ready when he attacks. The priests of sin champion this pattern, and it hasn’t changed since Adam and Eve sinned against the Lord.

The good news is that we, as followers of Christ, have the power of God, and through Jesus and His blood we overcome and walk in victory. For those on the other side, it’s like a movie with a sin plot Christians have seen over and over again. The only way to break the pattern is to submit your life to Christ, take up your cross (the sin plot of your life), and follow Jesus. The only way to change your life is to crucify your old self and all the sin in your life, and be raised a new man in Christ Jesus. Without this crucifixion, you are playing the role of sin, and the end result will be the same: death (Romans 6:23). Are you an actor in this movie of sin, or have you been redeemed?

Prayer: Father, help us to wake up to the reality of sin in our lives. Help us to remove sin and all the patterns of sin from our lives. I pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal the tactics of the enemy to us before we step into them. I pray for supernatural eyes to see what Satan has planned for us, and supernatural strength to walk in the victory we have in Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.