Subtle

Not all boats sink because they hit gigantic icebergs. Some boats sink because they get struck by an enemy’s attack, but some boats sink due to a slow leak caused by negligence. Now, ponder on this: you are the boat. What kind of boat are you? How well do you believe your boat is constructed? Are you a boat that is merely tied up and docked at a port, unable to sail? Are you currently sailing out on the sea? If you were to get attacked by an enemy, who or what would be your enemy? Now, ponder on this: would a captain decide to sail if he knew his ship would sink in the sea? Not many people believe they are going to sink and so they set sail. Even if you are currently sailing, do you believe you are impervious to an enemy’s attacks? How much faith do you possess in your boat?

Fingernails and toenails are made of a tough protective protein called keratin. Fingernails grow at an average rate of 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) per month. Most people do not realize that it’s time to trim their fingernails until the nails are already too long. The change happens so slowly that it usually goes unnoticed. The change happens so slowly that it never causes concern.

The rate or speed of hair growth is about 1.25 centimeters (0.5 inches) per month, or about 15 centimeters (6 inches) per year. Like nails, humans usually don’t notice the growth of hair until a moment of realization that it needs to be trimmed. Also like nails, humans do not feel the growth of hair occurring because the change happens so slowly.

Change that happens slowly often goes unnoticed and is accepted and integrated into everyday life. Now use that information to imagine how evil operates. Evil advances with slow movements and seemingly insignificant additions, subtractions, or replacements. Subtlety is the secret to evil’s success.

Does a smart burglar bust open a front door and sound the alarm? Or does a smart burglar attempt to sneak in without attracting attention? Does a smart con artist shout and demand your valuables? Or does a smart con artist persuade you to do something by using convincing lies to direct you to a decision by your own free will?

“Who has not heard and felt the enticing of the devil? His voice often sounds so reasonable and his message so easy to justify. It is an appealing, intriguing voice with dulcet tones. It is neither hard nor discordant. No one would listen to Satan’s voice if it sounded harsh or mean. If the devil’s voice were unpleasant, it would not persuade people to listen to it.”
(James E. Faust)

“It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing.… Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
(C.S. Lewis)

Most people will not realize that a mosquito stole his/her life blood and replaced it with its saliva until they feel the need to scratch the itch of the wheal. A mosquito injects saliva into the body of its victim; the saliva serves as an anticoagulant. Mosquito saliva negatively affects vascular constriction, blood clotting, platelet aggregation, angiogenesis and immunity, and creates inflammation. Mosquitos can also transmit extremely harmful infections such as malaria, yellow fever, west nile virus, dengue fever, and filariasis.

Evil is a lot like a mosquito. The change is so small that it usually goes unnoticed. That’s why people who get mosquito bites usually have quite a few. But even if the evil deed does get noticed, it gets nonchalantly brushed away because it’s too small to cause concern. If the deed that evil does is small enough, the evil will eventually accomplish what it set out to do. However, the consequences of the evil deeds are always felt. Either the mosquito bites itch and creates frustration, or the infection and disease will be felt. Aren’t you aware that evil deeds bring infections and diseases?

Imagine a cruise ship that accumulated tiny holes at the bottom of the boat due to rust and wear and tear. The holes were formed from the inside due to neglect of proper upkeep and a lack of preventative maintenance. The holes were created from the inside and corrosively expanded outward. Now, if neither the captain nor crew of the cruise ship alerts the passengers that the ship is taking on water, the majority of passengers will not realize that the ship is sinking until the water has already inundated so much as to cause a capsize. The water coming in from the bottom was never noticed by the privileged people up top who were never concerned with the bottom. It wasn’t until the gravity from the capsize that tipped over the patron’s Patron tequila that panic set in. What happened? Complacency created the catastrophe. No one was ready. No one was alert. No one was on guard. No one was sounding the alarm. All passengers were merely doing whatever made them happy. A problem with the pursuit of happiness is that purpose often gets neglected.

Evil is corrosive. Evil works to create tiny holes. The goal is to get evil inside so slowly as to go unnoticed until it’s too late. People usually don’t realize that they are sinking in life until it becomes obvious and they’re almost drowning. And only then will they want to change what they’re doing in order to be saved. Do people not typically desire to lose weight only after they realize they’re overweight? Do people not typically go to the dentist only after the pain from the cavity forces them to acknowledge the problem? Should we wait until pain forces us to acknowledge the problem?

Evil is corrosive and deliberately slow with its intentions. Enamel of your teeth can disappear over time due to corrosion. Many people will never notice until the day they suddenly feel the pain associated with the lack of enamel. The enamel of righteous living has been under a deliberately slow and precise attack for years. But the corrosion will eventually lead to a lot of pain and suffering.

Our world continues to take the line between right and wrong and push it farther away from Truth — the line gets pushed farther every day. The instructions of GOD and the teachings of Jesus continue to be compromised year after year due to an extremely slow acceptance of that which is wrong. And because the changes have all happened slowly over time, people accept them and consider them to be normal. And because we have not yet experienced GOD’s discipline, humans continue to celebrate their wrongdoings.

Think about it. Ponder on all of the changes that have occurred from even 1950 up until this present day. Did we condone abortion in the 50’s like we do today? What about marriage? As of 2018, people offer an easy solution of divorce without hesitation and it is accepted as normal. In the 50’s, relationships were cherished a lot more than they seem to be now. As of 2018, relationships are viewed as unnecessary anchors of burden that hold people back; moreover, people boast about their promiscuous lifestyles and celebrate many different sexual partners. On Easter of 1956, three different New York City skyscrapers configured their lighting to reveal the cross. As of 2018, people get fired from jobs for expressing their faith or get taken to court in lawsuits due to their faithful convictions. Also, I recently heard of a child who got suspended from school for reading The Bible in free time. As of 2018, we have people like Bruce Jenner who altered his gender and now proclaims himself to be a female. And our society not only accepts it, but celebrates it.

And it is evident that sin is celebrated nowadays because the majority of all our celebrities lack class and are not good role models. An easy way to see what we celebrate is to see who our celebrities are and what they stand for. How many movies, television shows or even songs on the radio promote moral decay? We put those celebrities there; we keep them there. But it hasn’t stopped there. Not too much longer after transsexual approval, homosexual marriage became legal in all 50 states. And now I am hearing news that pedophiles are attempting to have the same rights as the gay community in the fight for sexual orientation as protected class and right. In the 1950’s, we were able to discuss right and wrong without the need for lawsuits. In this present day, a simple discussion somehow gets labeled as hate speech and the one who expresses thoughts gets labeled as being intolerant.

Without emotions overriding critical thinking and critical reasoning, ponder on all of the changes that have occurred throughout history. Would pedophiles be a protected class even 10 years ago? And now we consider pushing the line yet again. Further and further we go down the gentle slope into the Nothing.

“I think we will witness increasing evidence of Satan’s power as the kingdom of God grows stronger. I believe Satan’s ever-expanding efforts are some proof of the truthfulness of this work. In the future the opposition will be both more subtle and more open. It will be masked in greater sophistication and cunning, but it will also be more blatant. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all of the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it.”
(James E. Faust)

My point is that change has occurred so slowly over time that sin has been accepted because it was garnished on good and normal things as if it were the sprinkles on an ice cream cone. Evil is like mold in a house or moss on a stone. People have picked up the mossy stones, yet never wiped them clean before taking them back home. We thresh wheat, remove dross from gold, and purify our drinking water, so why would we not filter the rest of life?

The change happened so slowly that it never generated alarm, never caused concern. And now an accumulated large mass of change has been accepted over time; consequently, the change also has a growing snowball effect in that each new change becomes more bold and blatant. And it’s all been accepted in disguise under the notion of it being “progress.” But is it all truly progress? For what ultimate goal is this progress made? We are always making progress; we are always getting closer to a goal. But in which direction are we traveling? It is possible to travel with good intentions and still end up going in the wrong direction. Are we getting closer to praise or discipline? Every single step we take brings us closer to either Heaven or Hell.

Humans have a long history of justifying their wrongdoings. Do any of the following sound familiar to you?

• “It’s just a little bit…”;
• “It’s only…”;
• “Just for a little while…”;
• “It’s not like I’m doing…”;
• “At least I’m not doing…”;
• “It’s not like it’s going to kill me.”;
• “Well, it makes me happy, so…”;
• “It feels good, so…”;
• “Everyone does it.”;
• “If it doesn’t hurt anybody else, it’s all right.”;
• “If it feels okay, it must be.”;
• “It’s not that bad.”;
• “I’m just going to do it one more time…”

“These subtle entreaties make Satan the great imitator, the master deceiver, the arch counterfeiter, and the great forger.”
(James E. Faust)

Necessity is constant awareness and consistent alertness. There is no need to beware (fear) so long as one is aware. I do not fear the persecution that is on the way because I am aware that it’s coming. I’m ready. Jesus told us to be ready (Matthew 24:44) and that we would be persecuted for following Him (Matthew 24:9). Jesus told us that people would stray far away and that even family would be against family (Mark 13:12). But we are also told to preach the Gospel (Matthew 28:16-20), share Truth (2Corinthians 10:5; Ephesians 4:15), love others (Matthew 22:36-40), forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15), and invite anyone in who repents (Matthew 12:41; Luke 15:7,10; 17:3-4).

It does not matter how far you have traveled into the campground of sin — you can be forgiven and saved! Regardless of what you have done, Jesus will welcome you. No one is too far out of GOD’s loving reach to be rescued! Jesus is the Relentless Rescuer! The only requirements are genuine repentance and to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If only we could release pride and humble ourselves. It’s not too late!

Consider the following:

1. On July 4, 1776, a total of 56 men joined together to create a Declaration of Independence. Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 24 had received seminary education
2. Our founding fathers extracted Truth from GOD’s Word and placed those truths as the foundation to which they would use to build America. Every part of our government and way of life was designed to be inseparable from GOD’s Word.
3. In 1864, “In God We Trust” began appearing on the nation’s currency. This concept was recognized as far back as 1814 when Francis Scott Key wrote the National Anthem. The Star-Spangled Banner’s final stanza concludes “And this be our motto – ‘In God is our Trust.’ ”
4. After an intensive study of our nation’s religious history, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in an 1892 case, “This is a Christian nation.”
5. In a Funk & Wagnalls 1902 Homiletic Review (volume 44), William Booth (founder of Salvation Army) said, “The chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without GOD, and Heaven without Hell.”
6. In 1911, there was a man who was arrested and fined $500 for passing out leaflets that attacked Christianity. The Supreme Court’s ruling stated, “Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends to the disillusion of civil government.” [An attack on Truth is an attack on liberating freedom and righteousness that America is built upon.]
7. In the 1950’s, GOD’s Word was still used in schools and it was authorized by the Board of Education.
8. Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that ruled it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools. Was prayer banned from schools in 1962? Yes. When we see the bigger picture and how it all trickled down into forming a pluralistic and relativistic society, it is quite evident that the year 1962 marked the beginning of the secular reign of education. Thus, true indoctrination began.
9. In 1963, the Supreme Court banned Bible reading in schools; in addition, it established a perversion of separation of church and state. [Separation from church and state is not in the Constitution; the separation was designed to protect the church from the government so that the government would not be able to control the church. The design for the nation was not freedom from religion, but freedom of religion.]
10. In 1969, Ronald Reagan’s No-Fault Divorce law made it easier to disregard GOD’s design for marriage and made it easier for promiscuity.
11. In 1973, “Roe versus Wade” legalized abortion; consequently, there have been an estimated 60 million babies aborted [murdered] since 1973 as of 2018.
12. June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court overruled GOD’s Word and redefined the definition of marriage and ruled that homosexual marriage be legal in all 50 states.
13. May 13, 2016, the Obama administration unilaterally imposed transgender polices on public schools.
14. March 2017: New York court allows poly parenthood with three-way custody ruling. Three women are allowed to be the parents.
15. April 2017: a 9-year old female, Mary Grace, was allowed to legally become a male (“Max Briggle”) and receive a new birth certificate.
16. …?

How far from Truth will the line be dragged? The line between innovation and effrontery becomes evident through consequences.

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”
(Carl Sagan, The Demon-haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark)

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
(Romans 12:2) -MSG

“Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.”
(Ephesians 5:10-11) -NLT

“So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times.”
(Ephesians 5:15-16) -Voice

“Most importantly, be disciplined and stay on guard. Your enemy the devil is prowling around outside like a roaring lion, just waiting and hoping for the chance to devour someone.”
(1Peter 5:8) -Voice

“Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping.”
(1Corinthians 16:13) -MSG

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
(Ephesians 6:18) -NLT

“Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don’t be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”
(Mark 14:38) -MSG

“So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.”
(1Thessalonians 5:6) -NLT

Conclusion:

Satan is subtle; evil is deliberate; sin is from Satan. But what is sin? And are all sins equal or are some worse than others? In its most basic form, sin is the breaking of GOD’s known Law. Augustine concisely stated that sin was something said, done, or desired that was contrary to the eternal Law of GOD. If sin is therefore viewed as a violation of the stated Law of GOD, how do humans come to commit the act of sinning? Another way of stating the question is this: Are humans sinners because they sin, or do humans sin because they are sinners?

To answer this question, we need to examine the nature of GOD. The nature of GOD reveals that GOD is the absolute standard. GOD’s Word informs us that due to the Fall of Adam and Eve, all humans are sinful from birth. Because all humans are sinful from birth, we all need to be saved. We sin because we are sinners; it is part of our nature. Because any sin causes us to fall short of the righteous standard, it is easy to see that all sin is equally condemning. That is, sin is a violation of the laws, edicts, and demands of a righteous GOD. To break one sin is as equally condemning as it is to break another sin. In Matthew 5:28, Jesus tells us that even a lustful look is adultery in the heart. Jesus told us that sin is still sin even if it is a desire to do wrong. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day taught that it was okay to think about anything you desired so long as you did not act on those desires. Jesus helped us to realize that GOD knows and judges a person’s thoughts as well as his/her actions (Psalm 139:1-2; Matthew 9:4; Luke 11:17; 1John 3:20). Jesus proclaimed that our actions are the result of what is in our hearts (1Chronicles 29:17; Matthew 12:34). Truly, the heart is the start.

Roman Catholicism attempts to categorize sins; however, this type of division of sins also demands that a person can become a Christian and receive grace and forgiveness, and then possibly lose that salvation again. Can we lose our salvation? No. This doctrine (called apostasy) is not unique to Roman Catholicism, and it raises more issues than it attempts to solve. But then again, that’s only one of the problems that arises within Roman Catholicism. Another problem is the title of the Pope. But does the division into categories of sins demand penance, as Catholicism teaches? If so, then does not that penance pay for a sin for which Christ already paid? Did Christ die on the cross only for the sins we committed in the past, but not in the future? If so, does that not make His sacrifice incomplete? Hebrews 9:24-28 informs us that Christ died once and for all, for all sin committed throughout time. Christ was the complete payment and sacrifice that atoned for all sins for all people for all time. As for creating categories of sin, the apostle Paul tell us in Romans 2:1-29 that to violate one law is in fact a violation of all the laws of GOD. Romans 6:23 defines all sin as deadly. Indeed, Galatians 5:19-21 helps clarify that many different sins are sufficient causes to keep us out of the Kingdom of Heaven. All sins are equally severe in the sight of GOD, and all sins produce death. Any attempt to categorize sin into varying degrees of gravity is an exercise in futility.

Although Jesus said that lust and adultery are both sins, that does not mean they are equal. It is much worse to actually murder a person than it is to simply hate a person, even though they are both sins in GOD’s sight. There are degrees to sin. Some sins are worse than others. At the same time, in regard to both eternal consequences and salvation, all sins are the same. Every sin will lead to eternal condemnation. All sin, no matter how “small,” is against an infinite and eternal GOD, and is therefore worthy of an infinite and eternal penalty. Conversely, there is no sin too “big” that GOD cannot forgive it. Jesus died to pay the penalty for sin (1John 2:2). Jesus died for all of our sins (2Corinthians 5:21). Are all sins equal in GOD’s sight? Yes and no. In severity? No. In penalty? Yes. In forgivability? Yes.

Application:

What subtle sins are you attempting to justify? Some actions, like viewing pornography or gambling affect the offender deeply as well as other people. Other actions, like smoking marijuana, or drinking alcohol might not seem as bad, but they have a great potential to be stumbling blocks for other people. What does it mean to be a Christian? There are essential doctrines that Christians believe, but the essential call of duty for a Christian is to be a superhero who loves others more than self.

I challenge you to examine yourself deeply. I challenge you to study all of the changes that have taken place throughout history and to ponder about which changes were good (aligned with GOD’s Word) and which changes were bad (human agenda created to satisfy self). I also challenge you to merely be aware and observe the changes that are currently taking place. I further challenge you to call attention to and expose the changes that are not good. Change for the better can never be made unless we call attention to what is wrong and make every effort to be righteous and good. In fact, I want to challenge you even further to call attention to everything that is good. Do not just call attention to what is bad. We need to share all that is good as well. Both are necessary.

Is evil sucking the life out of you while you’re unaware? The Holy Spirt is the repellent against the Life Sucker. Are you a sinking ship and you’re unaware that you’re going down? Many people foolishly possess self-confidence; however, GOD’s Word reminds us that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38).

“These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.”
(1Corinthians 10:11-12) -MSG

When was the last time you went below deck to check your engine room? When was the last time you checked to see if the nuts and bolts were fastened? Are you alert? Are you aware? Are you on guard? Are you awake or sleepwalking? Are you willing and able to sound the alarm? Are you willing and able to be a messenger? Don’t allow evil to steal your life; don’t sink with sinners when you can walk on water with Captain Christ. Jesus is the captain who makes it all happen.

[Discover my testimony: “Why I Am A Christian“]