Sin, Spoiler of Blessings

By Pastor Teck Uy

As believers, we know that God has a great plan for us. He made this very clear when he declared, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). While this sounds very encouraging, many do not seem to appreciate this. It is because they are not being blessed as they should. They struggle just like unbelievers and others around. Needless to say, the culprit is sin. Sin spoils the blessings that are reserved for God’s people. Therefore, it is best to listen to the words of King David who sinned against God and learned his lesson the hard way. He confessed, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). There is no better way to combat sin but by the Word of the Lord. Concerning the Word, the Book of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

When we hide the Word of God in our hearts, it is not for knowledge purposes only. Rather, it is meant to make it readily available when we are confronted with sin. The power of the Word of God should never be discounted. When tempted by the devil, Jesus himself used Scriptures to overcome him. For every temptation, he would respond, “It is written…” (Luke 4:1-12).  The devil, the father of all lies, could not stand the truth of the Word of God. In fact, Jesus said that if we know God’s word, we have the truth in us and the truth will set us free. While it is good to be able to defend ourselves using faith as our shield, it is still best if we can overcome the devil and drive him away using the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).

When the devil failed to cause the Lord Jesus Christ to submit to him temptations, he had to leave. However, we are told that the devil “left him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). This truth should cause us to be vigilant always. The devil will continue to look for opportunities to tempt us, thus spoiling the blessings God has in store for us. It is for this reason that we need to hide the Word of the Lord in our hearts, so that we can always use these to overcome the wiles of the evil one. If we do not know the Word of the Lord, we will be an easy target of the devil. He can come with all kinds of deceptions and we will readily submit because we do not know the truth. Besides, the Book of Proverbs warns: “If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable” (Prov. 28:9).

As far as parents are concerned, the command with respect to the Word of God is: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children…” (Deut. 6:6-9). The Word should not only be available to us to combat the evil that will confront us, but should also be our children’s defence against the onslaught of wickedness. Indeed, the best way to protect our children from the works of the evil one is not to watch them twenty-four hours a day, but to impress the Word of God in their hearts, so that they themselves could stand against temptations. If their young minds are saturated with the Word of God, they will not depart from it. They will learn to live holy and blameless lives and will survive in this wicked and perverse generation. In explaining a parable, Jesus mentioned that unless the heart is saturated with the Word, it could be a source of defilement. He said, “For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’” (Matt. 15:19-20). Friends, God has a great plan for us and we will miss the enjoyment of his blessings if we allow sin to spoil it. Therefore, let us hide God’s word in our hearts that we might not sin against him. Hallelujah!