Lot hesitated to leave Sodom and Gomorrah when the angels came to rescue him and his family. He knew the right thing to do was to cling to those angels and let them guide him and his family safely out of the city, but he also had an attachment to Sodom and Gomorrah.

So he hesitated.

To me this scenario represents our constant pull to our sin nature. We know what we need to do to live a life of victory. We know we need to let go of our sin and grab onto God’s hand, but we hesitate. We look back. With one hand we try to hold onto God and with the other we hold onto our sin.

But we cannot have both.

Just a few weeks ago, I felt a lot like Lot caught up in my own Sodom and Gomorrah. Letting pride and sin take residence on the throne of my heart. My mind–a battlefield. My heart–deceitful. My words–critical. My attitude–terrible.

I was miserable.

I felt so distant from the Lord. I tried to pray, but my words didn’t seem to penetrate through the ceiling. I knew what I needed to do to be set free. I knew I needed to confess my sin, ask forgiveness, then humble myself and do what the Lord was asking me to do. That obedience thing can be so hard. The verse that kept coming to my mind was James 4:17, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

The problem was I wasn’t sorry. I wasn’t ready to obey. Not yet.

I hesitated.

I felt the Lord speak to my thoughts, ‘Rachel, how much longer are you going to linger in your sin?’

My reply, ‘Just a little longer, Lord.’

 

But why? Why do we do hang onto our sin? Why do we hesitate?

The more I walk with the Lord, the more I realize that I can’t get by with things like I used to. Sin greatly hinders my relationship with the Lord. It hinders the closeness I feel with Him. And I hate feeling distant from Him. There is nothing on this earth like the fullness of joy from being in His presence and the pleasures at His right hand. That’s why I love Psalm 16:11 so much.

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Thankfully, I finally got to the point where I had had enough of wallowing in my sin. I missed Him. I went before my Lord and told Him how sorry I was for once again letting sin have control of my heart. I asked Him to forgive me. Then I did that “good” thing I knew He was asking me to do. I obeyed. I let go of my sin and allowed His strong hand to take hold of me. And in His great mercy, He once again led me to freedom.

So I encourage you to let go of your sin and grasp God’s hand! Let Him carry you to freedom. His presence, path, and plan are much better than anything the world could ever offer. Don’t let sin have a foothold in your life for one more second. There’s freedom, pleasure, life, and joy in Him far beyond what you could ever imagine. So what are you waiting for?

Don’t hesitate!

 

#F260