Reading: What a heart wrenching passage! There are people that we pass daily who have heard the truth of the saving grace of Christ, yet have rejected him and continue to follow their own way of corruption. That’s when bad things happen. Jesus spoke of this himself in Luke 10:24-26: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

As believers in Christ, it should break our hearts to see people influenced by Christ and his Word, only to turn back to their sinful desires. It’s like watching someone stranded in the middle of the ocean refusing to grab the life preserver. Like Peter shares, it’s like a dog returning to his vomit… (yuck!). In baseball terms, imagine seeing someone getting intentionally walked, only to swing at the pitches so far out of reach! The pitcher was willing to give them a free pass, yet they refused to take first base and kept striking out on wild pitches. It doesn’t make sense, yet, they still do it. 

Thankfully, we can know the marks of a true Christian. One of them is that they despise their own sin when they turn back to it. Paul hated his own sin. He despised it. He said in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” Then, he shares the remedy in verse 25, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Paul’s mind was set on Jesus and what he did for him. He practiced heartfelt, genuine repentance, even if he did sin at times. 

As Christians, we should hate our sin, and then turn and run in the other direction. Our attitude should never be “Well, I’m only human. I’m a sinner and that’s what I’ll always be.” No! Don’t give up. Continue the battle, keep your eyes focused on Jesus, don’t grieve God by your sin, and never ever love your sin. Your sin to God is like a dog’s throw-up, and we should view it that way too. Hate sin with a passion! Pursue God holiness for you, lean on others to do it and God to do it, and ask God for help constantly. It is a tough battle in our flesh, but know that you aren’t alone and God will do it with you. Jesus knows how hard temptations are in this life and wants to walk through them with you (Hebrews 4:15).

Reflection:  Open your Bible and turn to Hebrews 4:15. Read the passage and think about the fact that Jesus knows what you battle. Write down the sins that you do that disgust you and him. After that, cross them out on your page. That is what the blood of Jesus does for you. Now, pray the prayer below.

Prayer Prompt: Father, I am a sinner. I acknowledge that. I see now that my sin is disgusting. You hate it and I do too. I’m running to you today. Receive me, Lord. Not only do I want to stop sinning, but I want to work faithfully for you. Jesus, walk me though repentance. Let me unhitch from my past mistakes and make me clean. Draw me into a relationship with you. Heal me. Cleanse me. I give my life to you today. Thank you for your atoning blood on the cross. I never want to willfully hurt you again. But I do trust in your sacrifice for my sin once and for all. Today and forward, I want to fight daily for you on the battlefield for your kingdom.