Sin Stinks!

When I first accepted Christ I thought that eventually you would get so close to Him that sin wouldn't be such a struggle.  What a joke!  Now I realize that the closer you get to Him the more sin is magnified.  I hate sin.  Sin stinks.  Terry and I were just discussing late last night how much we hated sin.  Our own sins and just sin in general.  Then he fell fast asleep and I was left to ponder sin and the effects it has on others for the rest of the night!  Ugh!  Sin is something that our Holy God takes very seriously and so should we.  It is scary to me that so many of us think because we don't take part in the "really bad stuff" we are pretty good.  But in my experience it is those sins that we keep secret.  The ones that we cover up and make look nice that are really hideous and can do the most damage.  In Matthew Jesus strongly rebukes the Pharisees.  Saying "you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.  Woe to you"  This morning when I was reading this I first thought how awful  it would be for the Savior of the world to say "Woe to you" meaning me.  These Pharisees had it all together they thought.  But they did not deal with the inward heart and mind.  Or rather allow Christ to deal with their heart and mind.  As Christians we must deal with our sin.  In my mind I picture sin as a dungeon.  Each gray rough dull cement block keeps us from being free.  It keeps us from purity, loveliness, peace and true contentment.  Christ is on the other side of the prison calling to us.  We can hear Him.  But those big gray blocks are so heavy and I have to pick each one up out of the way.  So I decide this is my lot in life, to stay here.  I was born here why should I expect anything else.  We look around and see everyone else in their cells so we try to make our cell look pretty.  We paint it.  We hang stuff on the walls.  Banners that say "I can't help it" or "I accept myself" or "Home sweet home"  But still there is that voice that we just barely hear over our pride, lust, gossip, overeating, under eating, anxiety, bitterness, selfishness.  We think we hear someone singing....Something about love and freedom.  But it is beyond all this and too much work.  So we still try to make a life in this dark damp place.  Making the best of it!  Every day we have a choice to stay here like those around us or to begin the long process of dealing with our sin one block at a time.  Early in our marriage Christ confronted Terry with an area of sin.  He could have said "no Lord, too hard, too much, and too fun to take down.  No I won't I can't."  But instead he took that big huge heavy block off the top.  And you know what he found.  That it wasn't so hard to move because he had not moved it alone.  Christ had pushed from the other side.  When that one block was moved so much light busted into our cell that it created a thirst, a deep desire to move more.  It shined light into my cell.  It made me want to bust out too.  We have been on this demolition journey for several years.  It has been tough, tedious work.  And just when we think we are done we trip on one that we forgot.  We are battle scarred.  But it has been so worth it.  So much so that one of the deepest desires of my heart has been that those around me would begin to break out of the sin cell.  Dear sisters in Christ, we all know that one thing that God has asked us to deal with over and over and we refuse.  But if you will just trust Him to help you move it and get rid of it what He replaces it with is far better than you could ever imagine.  It will drive you to destroy the other blocks that have held you back for so long.  And one final thing, remember we are not in these prisons alone.  We have our children in here with us.  If we do not break free we lead them to their own cells.   May we roll up our sleeves and set to work!!  If you need help I am here!
Love you all so much
Carrie
Also wanted to know if any of you are interested in trying to meet again.  I was thinking this time of an early Saturday morning.  Let me know what you think.