One day, a police officer received a call about a mischievous monkey wreaking havoc throughout the town. The creature turned over trash cans, stole bags of groceries, and screeched at all hours of the night. No matter how hard the officer tried, the monkey always outsmarted him.
While driving through town, the officer turned into an alleyway and found the monkey with his hand in the slats of the sewer drain. The animal hopped and screamed, warning the cop not to get any closer.
The man walked around, trying to assess the situation. When the monkey lurched forward, it reeled back in pain. A look of panic came over the imp, and he retaliated against the cop, scratching his face. After an hour, the cop threw a banana on the sidewalk just a few inches from the drain. The monkey tried to grab it with his free hand but couldn’t shorten the distance without releasing his fist. Once again, the police officer tried to help the creature, but the monkey swatted the air before him.
A call came through the police scanner, and the officer had to leave his prey behind. The town forgot the little monkey and returned to normal.
A week later, the cop received a call about a dead animal in an alley. To his surprise, he found the monkey’s twisted corpse lying on the same grid. One hand clutched the treasure, the other stretched out, attempting to reach the banana.
Soon, Animal Control raised the grate and pried open the monkey’s fingers. They found a large diamond ring cut into his palm. The officer realized the creature’s last treasure was more vital than his survival.
Sin is a liar and a death trap. Our soul lusts for pleasure, money, power, inappropriate relationships, and even destroying our enemies. The joy we expect from satisfying our lust always falls short of our expectations.
James 1:14-15 notes:
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then, when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Theologian John Owen states in his book Indwelling Sin,
The deceit of indwelling sin hides the danger that attends sin. It covers it as the hook is covered with the bait, or as the net is spread over the meat for the fowl to be taken. It is not possible, indeed, that sin should utterly deprive the soul of the knowledge of the danger of it. Sin cannot dispossess the soul of its notion or persuasion that “the wages of sin is death” and that it is the “judgment of God, that they which commit [sin] are worthy of death” (Romans 6:23, 1:32). But this is what indwelling sin will do: it will so take up and possess the mind and affections with the baits and desirableness of sin, that it shall divert them from an actual and practical contemplation of the danger of it.
A believer who falls into a pattern of sin will find that his conscience will ease, and the struggle for obedience is irrelevant. The principles that once guided our lives will seem like a cosmic joke. The fight ends when the pleasure of sin overrides God’s command for obedience.
But there’s hope. Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh set its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”
Thank God for his active work in your conscience. It is a gift to help you resist the lust in your heart. Then surrender your will to the Holy Spirit, who will give you the power to fight your sinful nature and guide you to victory.
A Tree Firmly Planted 