Death by Slow Cooker

"You may be very sure men fall in private long before they fall in public." J. C. Ryle.

Read those words again. They remind us of a brutal reality. Things don't just happen. Moral failure is a slippery slope. Usually, sin begins innocently enough. Many affairs begin with the "simple" exchange of compliments or office gossip. Friendships bud, feelings bloom, and then all of the sudden-boom,lives are destroyed. What starts out as "innocent" flirting, ends with disastrous consequences. In many such situations, people ignore the warning signs as things begin to speed out of control.

Ryle explains that the final, public fall (plunge into sin) is the result of a fall that occurred much earlier. We set ourselves up for a fall when we grow lax in our prayer life. When our devotions grow cold or are abandoned altogether, we teeter on the brink of danger. Negligence in prayer and Scripture intake is a certain path to destruction.

Spiritual decline is difficult to detect because it doesn't happen all at once. It is similar to boiling a frog. I once read that if you tossed a frog into boiling water it would jump out. However, they say that if you put the frog in a pan of water and gradually increase the temperature, the frog will just sit there until it's dead. We are like that frog when it comes to sin. Throw most people into the middle of something they know is wrong, and they run away. Yet when their consciences are gradually worn down, they move deeper and deeper into sin. By the time they realize it, the damage is already done.

The only real solution to falling into public disgrace, it to constantly, diligently keep one's heart focused on the Lord. This focus can only be maintained through prayer and Scripture intake (reading/studying/meditating/memorizing). To resist the devil, we must humble ourselves and draw near to God. As we pray, we pray for protection from evil. We pray to maintain our alertness. We keep turning to the Lord in repentance and faith. And in so doing, we find the strength to face each challenge.

If you have grown lax in your prayer and devotions, be warned: your in dangerous territory.  It doesn't take long for warm water to turn too hot. Take care to honor the Lord in private, and you won't likely dishonor him in public. Don't let sin burn you, consider the frog and be wise.