This week, I had my wisdom teeth removed—a very common but nerve-wracking procedure (at least, it was nerve-racking for me). Hearing the funny stories of those coming out of anesthesia, along with the accounts of pain and soreness to follow, left me filled with dread about the process. Thankfully, the surgery went well, and recovery has been smooth so far.

I had to take preventative measures to protect my teeth. However, in my more cynical moments, I have wondered why I went through with the surgery. The pain and disruption to my week didn’t seem worth it because the problem “wasn’t that bad yet.”

Of course, this line of thinking disregards the full truth for a few simple emotions. My wisdom teeth had not grown in correctly and had the potential to cause damage to my other teeth and infection in my gums. Though they had not yet caused major problems, it was necessary to have them removed to prevent even greater pain and issues in the future.

We face moments like this in our lives over and over again. Little habits, sins, and thought cycles work their way into our lives. They are not good, but they don’t seem that detrimental either. Nobody notices, or if they do, it doesn’t seem to hurt anyone, so what’s the harm? We begin to accept these “little sins” into our lives because they don’t seem worth the effort to confront.  Scripture instead informs us that we must confront all sin and gives us steps to do so.

Sin never stays stagnant.
James writes in James 1:14-15:

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Lust, or unmanaged temptation, becomes sin, and unmanaged sin leads to death. Temptation comes into all of our lives, but when we entertain or indulge in temptation, we are opening the door for destruction to rush in behind. Leaving little sins and temptations unchecked is like allowing an infection to go untreated and expecting it to get better—or at the very least, not get worse. Instead, we must recognize the danger and power of all sin, as well as our own fleshly weakness. We must actively examine ourselves to address sins and temptations tat have taken root.

Challenge:

Look inward and reflect on the “little” sins and temptations you have allowed to grow in your life. Recognize them, confess them, and repent of them.

We must take the removal of our sin and temptation seriously.
Scripture once again speaks to the extreme response we are to have to temptations and sins in our lives. Jesus, speaking about offenses and temptation, says in Matthew 18:8-9:

"Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."

Now, Jesus is not commanding us to physically maim ourselves, but rather, He is emphasizing the importance of holiness. Each of us, as followers of Christ, must take extreme measures to protect ourselves from sin and temptation. Why?

  • Because we understand the wickedness of our own flesh. Each of us has fleshly desires that we must fight against in this life.

  • Because we understand the destructive power of sin. Yes, Christ has conquered sin, but sin can still hurt our relationship with Christ and those around us if left unchecked.

  • Because we seek to follow Christ—His example and His commands. Christ has called us to holiness and separation from sin. Here in Matthew, He equips us with a vital strategy to pursue holiness and reject sin.

We strive to remove temptation wherever we can, but it is important to note that not all temptation can simply be cut out or avoided in our lives.  Elimination of temptation is a valuable and underused aspect of our fight with sin, but it is not the ultimate solution to conquering sin.  Ultimately, we rely upon the work of Christ to redeem and forgive us of our sins.  When temptations can be eliminated, seek to do so.  When temptations cannot be eliminated, turn to God and rely upon His grace.  Ask Him to grow and mature you to withstand the temptation that you face.  

Challenge:

Recognize the points of temptation and weakness in your life and remove them. If social media tempts you to sin, then delete it. If the cookies in your pantry tempt you to sin, then throw them out. If the friends you spend the weekend with influence you the wrong way, then separate yourself from them. Take action to remove the temptations in your life.

The best time to remove the risk is BEFORE tragedy strikes.
Why didn’t I wait until I was battling an infection or experiencing permanent damage to the rest of my teeth before having my wisdom teeth removed? Because it was easier and less painful to remove the risk before it ever became a problem. This same truth applies to sin. If we can remove sin from our lives at the temptation level, then we never have to deal with it at the sin level. We never have to fight to break the habit that has taken hold of us, and we never have to wade through the consequences of unchecked sin. Why? Because we addressed the temptation before it ever became a sin that held power over us.

Challenge:

Pray and ask God to reveal the temptations in your life that you need to remove before they become sinful.

Serving Together,

Tyler Boggess