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 Twelve Sure-Fire Ways to Wreck Your Faith By: Dr. Skip Myers Edgefielddaily.com columnist Part 3 of 5 web posted February 11, 2008 JOHNSTON – “This message will self-destruct in ten seconds.” Who could forget this line from the old Mission Impossible show? Each week as Jim Phelps received his team’s assignment this closing phrase let him know that the tape recorder was fixing to have an acid meltdown. We are in the midst of a series that deals with 12 character traits and attitudes that have the potential to bring our faith to a point of meltdown if we allow them to continue as part of our relationship with the Lord. Just to review let’s look at what we have dealt with so far: 1) Deception 2) Distress 3) Doubt 4) Distraction. #5: Denial: When we refuse to believe and confront reality we are in denial. Many believers live a great portion of their faith lives in denial. Why? I’m glad you ask that question. We simply haven’t been taught how to effectively deal with the fact that we are all sinners. It’s not that we deny the fact that we all sin—that’s basically undeniable. What we deny is the nature of our sin because we are busy comparing our sin to someone else’s. As long as we compare our lives to someone who we consider to be a “bigger sinner” than we are, we don’t effectively take responsibility for our sin. Oh, and doing this also takes our focus off the Lord and places it on others while setting us up as the standard for acceptability. This attitude opens the door for our minds to be invaded with arrogance and pride both of which cannot draw us closer to the Lord. So if we are going to effectively deal with denial there is but one solution—compare your life to Jesus! That’s what David did after his sin. Read Psalm 51 and you will hear these words: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight. Putting our lives next to His enables us to receive His forgiveness, mercy, and guidance in dealing with the mess sin can cause. #6: Distance: So now you’ve sinned—you’ve really blown it big time. What’s your next move? If you want to wreck your faith you allow your next move to be guided by guilt. Guilt will always seek to distance us from the Lord therefore making it difficult for us to seek and receive His forgiveness and grace. You may have been told that guilt must be felt in order to experience the Lord. Wrong! There is a difference in the Lord convicting us of our sin and our minds dishing out a big heaping helping of guilt. Guilty people have one thing on their minds—escape. Guilt moves us to a position of distance from the Lord when we are wrong. Conviction offers forgiveness and grace which draws us closer Him. If God wanted to distance sinners from Himself He would have never sent Jesus to die on the cross. After all, our sin had already distanced us from Him—all He had to do to keep us away was nothing. He not only forgives our sins but through Christ, we are forgiven the guilt of our sin nature as well. Psalm 32:5: I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And You forgave the guilt of my sin. #7: Depreciation: Depreciate the value of anything and it will become easier to ignore and neglect. New things are valuable but the longer we have them the greater the risk that they will be taken for granted and depreciated. Freedoms, family, marriage and especially faith, are easily taken for granted and neglected. We lose sight of their day-to-day value. They become an accepted part of life and we begin to fail in making an effort to keep them maintained and fresh. Complacency becomes who we are as Americans. Divorce and conflict becomes foundational in our human relationships. God and church become a matter of need and convenience. Value who Christ is in you. If we lose sight of just how valuable He is then it becomes a small step to neglect and compromising our faith. We don’t compromise on what we value. How quick we are to compromise or neglect things of faith will reveal just how precious Christ is to us. Treasure Him for He is the treasure of God given to us. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. 2 Timothy 1:14 Get the rust off your faith and polish it up by being in church this week. It will bring you closer to Him and more aware of just how valuable He is to you and you are to Him. ©
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