“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:8
Much talk today is surrounded by “flattening the curve” … the Coronavirus curve that is. Not only much talk, but much work has been involved in learning not only 1) what it is but 2) what the cause is, 3) how it is spread, 4) how to eliminate it, and 5) how to keep from getting it in the future … to flatten the curve.
Is there such a thing in the spiritual realm … as flattening the curve?
Today, I would like us to open our spiritual eyes and see what this term means for you and me as Christians. Is there even such a thing in the spiritual realm … as flattening the curve? I truly believe so! Let us look at just that:
1) What is it? In the spiritual realm, it is called SIN. Unlike the Coronavirus though, ALL of us have it as Romans 3:23 tells us … “For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” It is that sin that inflates the curve. It is that very sin that separates us from a righteous and holy God … Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
2) What is the cause of that sin? The Bible is very clear that it was by ONE man’s sin … “Wherefore, as by ONE man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon ALL men, for that ALL have sinned.” (Romans 5:12) It was the first man, Adam. It was his sin that day in the Garden. Now, every man after him is born in sin. The Coronavirus started with just ONE and now look at how many it has affected.
3) How is sin spread? Before we can understand how sin is spread, we must first realize where it resides. It resides in the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” But James 1 goes on to tell us that “when lust [temptation] hath conceived [is acted upon], it bringeth forth sin … [then] when [sin] is finished, [it] bringeth forth death.” A death far worse than any victim of the Coronavirus has ever experienced. For it is a death, for all of those who have chosen to live a life of sin, that is followed by everlasting punishment in hell (Matthew 25:46).
4) How do we eliminate sin? Washing! So simple, yet so often overlooked, is it not? I have never washed my hands so thoroughly my entire life as I have these past weeks with the Coronavirus. Why? Because I wanted to flatten the curve. I wanted to do my part. We need that washing that comes from God’s Word as well (Ephesians 5:26). When we apply God’s Word and confess our sins (I John 1:9), HE (God alone) is able to cleanse us. What a magnificent cleansing that is too!
Exposing yourself to God and His Word flattens the curve of sin.
5) How do we keep from getting it in the future? Immunity. For Christians, it is not exposure to sin and the world that brings immunity. No, my friend! It is the exposure to God and His Word! It is building a wall or layer of protection around our whole entire being. In the scripture, it is known as the Christian’s armor. Ephesians 6:11-12 tells us that we are to “Put on the WHOLE armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against … against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Sin inflates. Drawing nigh to God flattens the curve.
Sin inflates. So, in order for you and I, my friend, to flatten the curve in our lives we must simply “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” Draw closer to Him … flatten the curve!
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