Flirting With Sin

​When I moved out of my parents house at the age of 18-years-old, there wasn’t a substance I wouldn’t try if it was offered to me. There wasn’t a party I wouldn't attend, or most often, I was the one hosting! At times, the words that came out of my mouth were unbecoming to say the least. The actions I made were even worse. Yet all that while, I would proudly tell others “yes, I’m a Christian!” when they saw the Christian-fish tattooed on my wrist.
 
My hypocrisy and disregard for Christ would finally catch up with me in the way of legal trouble. It was in a conversation with my mother where I was presented with the reality of what I’d let my life become when it all hit me. She said something along the lines of, “this is what happens when you flirt with sin.” Ouch, she was right. Confronted with the illicit relationship between my rampant sin and self-proclaimed Christianity, I knew the two could not coexist. 

​My sin was like an oil that does not mix with the living water that is God. This metaphor is true for sin of any size or stature, sin simply is not of God. We cannot carelessly let sin rule our lives and claim to be in fellowship with Christ, we must align our lives to His.
 
As I read this week’s scriptures, I couldn’t help but feel convicted. John is addressing heretical teachers that were within the church making false claims regarding Christianity. They claimed to be in step with God, even partnering with Him, but they lived immorally. They rejected the notion that they were sinful by nature and they denied that their sin was displeasing to God! My jaw dropped over the simple truths such “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4) and “If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:6). 
 
In 1 John 1:9, John writes “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Confession in its simplest terms is to agree with God. Confession is the cure for sinfulness.
 
The first change I enacted in my life was that of confession to God and to those I had wronged or led astray. I encourage you today to confess your sins to our Father who is faithful and just to forgive so that He could cleanse you from all your unrighteousness that you could become a new creation in Him (2 Cor. 5:17). Your first prayer of confession can be as simple as, “Lord, I agree I have lived sinfully.” May the words cross your heart before they cross your lips. 
 
Take every new day and each new endeavor with one foot in front of the other, fully relying on God’s strength. With every step in the right direction aligned with Christ, you will become the woman and new creation God destined you to be! 

Memory Verse: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

About the Author

Hi there! I’m Keryn Stokes. I’m married to my loving husband, Chris, and together we have two beautiful kids (so far). I’ve lived in West Virginia my entire life and was homeschooled along with my four siblings for a portion of my upbringing. I have experiences that lend me the ability to relate with a myriad of individuals. I’ve been broken, I’ve been addicted, I’ve been lost, but by God’s grace I know redemption, discipline, and wholeness. I’ve been given the gift of writing and I believe one of my purposes is to share my story with others.