Subtle sins -- that's what Leslie Ludy calls them in The Set-apart Woman.
"The more comfortable I had become with the world's messages, the easier it had become to allow subtle sins into my life. Self-pity, laziness and selfishness had become familiar companions, along with other small compromises" (page 7).The more I thought about those two words, "Subtle Sins," God brought others to mind:
Covetous
Comparison
Impatience
Irritability
Haughtiness
Vanity
Evil thoughts
Unthankful
Judgmentalism
One hymn that has been singing in my head for the last few weeks is Charles Wesley's "I Want a Principle Within."
I want a principle within
Of jealous, godly fear,
A sensibility of sin,
A pain to feel it near.
I want the first approach to feel
Of pride or fond desire,
To catch the wand’ring of my will,
And quench the kindling fire.
From Thee that I no more may part,
No more Thy goodness grieve,
The filial awe, the fleshly heart,
The tender conscience, give.
Quick as the apple of an eye,
O God, my conscience make;
Awake my soul when sin is nigh,
And keep it still awake.
Almighty God of truth and love,
To me Thy pow’r impart;
The mountain from my soul remove,
The hardness from my heart.
Oh, may the least omission pain
My reawakened soul,
And drive me to that blood again,
Which makes the wounded whole.
Highlight Revelation 2:5 in your Bible. Think back to your early days as a Christian -- What were you doing that kept your soul open to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Were you effusive in praising God for your salvation? Were you enthusiastic in your worship? Were you eager in reading and meditating on His Word. Was talking with God a continual conversation?
These are the first deeds. These are the practices I've fallen from. Maybe not the practices, but the enthusiastic, the eagerness, the effusiveness -- that's what I desire to recapture.
I'm excited...and so thrilled for those of you who are joining me for this journey of Sacred Living. I'm praying for each of you as we remember and repent.
4 comments:
I wonder if it is less about subtle sins for me and more about subtle temptations which is not sin or my failure, but the giving into the temptation then exposes my heart at how subtle Satan can be! So I must guard my heart and be ready during certain times for his attacks of lies and small whispers to do this or that.
A few things immediately came to my mind and I beleive we can be desensitized and before we know it we do the very things we don't really want. Thanks for sharing this and that song.
I am going to have to google that hymn, I'm not familiar with it. :)
Currently, I feel like my subtle sin is not longer subtle. But I think this is good. God is trying to really root this comparison stuff out of me and so I am grateful for that, even though it feels frustrating!
Post a Comment