Drawn from my archives
When we gave our lives over to Christ, we left sin behind. At least we should have, if we love God the way we say that we do.
And yet I wonder, how many of those little sins are we still hanging onto? The ones we don’t see as destructive, the ones we’ve decided can stay.
Maybe it’s a bad temper. Maybe it’s a habit of swearing. Maybe you’re getting drunk on Saturday nights. Maybe you know it’s there, but you’ve decided this sin is harmless enough to remain a part of your life. Maybe you’re not ready to let go just yet.
As I got to thinking about that today, I was reminded of a story from 1 Samuel Chapter 15. Samuel sent Saul’s army to attack the Amalekites, and with that command he relayed special instructions from God.
“Do not spare them,” he said, “put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”
Saul attacked the Amalekites just as God had commanded, but instead of following the wisdom of God he chose to follow his own. The soldiers brought back the cattle, and Saul brought back the king, who Samuel then put to death.
What’s interesting to note about this is that throughout scripture the Amalekites symbolize the flesh at war with the Spirit.
Wilson’s Dictionary of the Bible says,
Amalek was to be kept in subjection by Israel, and this is a type of our flesh which is to be kept in subjection by the people of GOD. As the flesh lusts against the Spirit ( Galatians 5:17), so Amalek fought against Israel constantly.
Remember the scripture that says, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” What we deem as harmless has the potential to destroy us in ways we could never imagine.
Because of Saul’s disobedience that day, some Amalekites went on to live. In fact, if you’re at all familiar with the story of Esther you might remember that Haman, a descendant of Agog, was determined to kill all of the Jews. And so we see the potential that sin has to grow, to fester, and to destroy.
My friend, don’t underestimate the destructive potential of sin. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that a little sin is harmless. Don’t trade the unsurpassing power of His wisdom for the folly of yours.
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Tilling the Soil
Read the story of Saul and the Amalekites in 1 Samuel Chapter 15.
Planting Hope
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22, KJV)
Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
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You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife