When scandals committed by religious leaders fill the news headlines, it’s natural to feel grieved and even angry.
After all, sin is ugly, and when its destructive nature reveals itself, it can cause pain and heartache for everyone in its path.
But there’s a lesson to be learned in every scandal, however it might not be the one you think.
While it’s easy to be shocked and outraged at the latest turn of events, we should take it as an opportunity to remember these key points.
Pride Is Destructive
Whether you’ve been walking with the Lord for 30 days or 30 years – every single one of us can fall into the trap of pride.
It can be easy to look at the sins of others and think more highly of ourselves or tell ourselves we could never stumble so low – but we need to be careful, because we can just as easily fall into the snare of temptation.
This is why it’s so urgent to examine our own hearts and make sure we are right with God.
Ask God to reveal any strongholds in your own life and bring any secret sin to your knowledge so you’re able to deal with it before it’s too late.
Sin has consequences, but God lovingly welcomes His children to seek repentance in Him.
The Heart Is Wicked
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” – Jeremiah 17:9
The Bible tells us over and over how wicked our hearts are, and every time a new scandal pops up, this truth is confirmed.
Our hearts gravitate towards whatever “feels good in the moment” and seeks to gratify the flesh.
But our hearts are deceitful!
If we take the world’s advice to “follow our hearts” – we’re bound to take the well-traveled road to destruction.
Instead, we must stay fervent in God’s world and follow His teachings, which will take us down the narrow path.
We must deny our flesh and feed the spirit.
Accountability Is Key
We all struggle with sin in our lives, but the worst thing we can do is struggle alone.
Secret sin is deadly and can either keep a Christian living in denial or trapped under the fear of being “found out.”
Whatever sin you struggle with, whether gossip or pornography, make sure you have an accountability partner or two and check in with them regularly.
Allowing sin to grow in the dark gives the devil a foothold.
The only way to slay sin is to bring it into the light and place it at the feet of Jesus.
Do not think you can fight your sin alone without others – as the body of Christ, we are called to share one another’s burdens.
As God has told us, there will come a day when every hidden sin will be shouted from the rooftops and found out.
Use this moment to get right with God and examine your own life and make sure you are dealing with whatever areas you struggle with.
We should never rejoice when leaders stumble or think of ourselves as “better than them.”
Instead, it should wake us up with the reality that we are just one moment away from temptation ourselves and need to rely on God every second of every day.
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