"Pet Sins"

"...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us..." Hebrews 12:1

I fell back asleep this morning and when I did, I had a dream. As I sat down to write the devotional the Lord gave me the meaning of the dream and impressed on me to share it with you. I was the character in the dream, but it is a word and warning to us all.

In the dream I had two little bear cubs as pets. They were so cute, so playful, so cuddly, and I loved them. But at the same time in the back of my mind I knew it was not a wise idea to have them- they were wild animals, not pets. I knew that one day their true nature would come out. I had a feeling that one night I would go to sleep and in my sleep they would turn on me, attack me and destroy me. (Perhaps I thought this because on occasion I have watched programs on television about this- people had wild animals for pets and the pets reverted to their nature and killed their owners.)

In the dream I also had three babies. One morning I woke up and the two baby cribs were empty. The cubs had killed, and I guess eaten, the babies- they were gone. The third baby was in my arms looking for her brother and sister. At that point not only was I having to deal with my own pain and utter disbelief at what had happened, but I was having to tell this sad little baby that they were gone and comfort her.

The word/warning to us all is this: you cannot have "pet sins" in your life and not expect them to turn on you one day and destroy you and those you love. They may appear innocent and harmless at the moment, but they will turn on you in a dark hour and destroy everything that is precious to you. They not only will hurt you but they will hurt those around you. Ma'am, do you think that that affair you are having isn't going to come back to "bite" you one day? Do you think that it is not going to hurt your family? Sir, do you think you can continue to watch pornography and not be affected by it? Don't you know it will destroy your relationship with those that you love? These are just two of the pet sins that people have, there are many more. But each one, if indulged and not put in their proper place, will leave you hurting and having to "pick up the pieces" from the mess that you allowed to happen. Don't deceive yourself by saying it will never happen, I can handle it. Sin has a nature too, just like those bear cubs, and its nature will come out one day. You will wake up and have to face its destructive power.

If that is you this morning, sin does not belong in your life. The Lord never tells us to nurture sin but to forsake it instead. It doesn't belong in your life. It belongs under the blood of Jesus, or in the sea of His forgetfulness but not in your life- whether hid in secret or out openly. You may think you can handle them and that they are under control at the moment, but don't deceive yourself, it is sin and sin will always have a payday. Fire is fire and if you play with it you will get burned. You can't play with sin and not expect to reap the consequences. They will come and when they do, it not only will hurt you but those around you and it takes no captives but destroys them instead.

Have a great day. Holding on to "pet sins" will eventually lead to destruction, heartache and pain, for you and for those around you.

For further reading:
Acts 3:19
1 John 1:9
2 Samuel 11,12