Just One

I have a way of deceiving my own self at times.      When I am dieting, I ask myself what is the problem with taking just one little bite??  I rationalize it and I justify it.    The problem with that one little bite is that it usually leads to another and then another, until next thing I know, I have blown my entire diet.   And it all started with one little bite.   Before long,  I am regretting that one little bite.

We all tend to rationalize those little things in our lives.  Just one little white lie.  Just one little peek.  Just one little drink.   Just one little  ____________________.   Just fill in the blank with whatever because we all have our different temptations.  Our nature is to justify  and rationalize away  the seriousness of that one little sin.   One sin is a big deal to God.   Romans 6:23 clearly says the the wages of sin is death.   Sin as in singular.  One sin is enough to make you a sinner and bound for hell.    One sin is also enough to keep your prayers hindered.    Psalms 66:18 says if I hide iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.   This  is something that has  has really hit me right between the eyes here lately.   How often do we tell people we are going to pray for them or actually spend time in prayer and have iniquity hidden in our heart?   Oh sure, we confess (or should) confess those things that are obvious.   The things we say that we shouldn't, the bad thoughts we have, not reading our Bible like we should. Basically those  visible sins we know are wrong.  We know to confess them.   But what about that sin that we have hidden deep within our hearts that isn't so visible?   That bitterness that we harbor or the unforgiveness of a person for a wrong doing?   We tell our selves that we have forgiven them, but deep within our hearts we haven't.  It may be buried so deep that we are not even aware of it and so it doesn't propose a threat to our prayer life.  Unconfessed sins hidden deep in our heart is like a cancer.  It may start out so small that we are not even aware of it's presence.   But before long, it will rear it's ugly head and start destroying everything it comes in contact with.  One little sin can cause God not to hear your prayers.    Most of the time, the sins that keep our prayers hindered are not the public sins we commit, but more of those secret ones. 

  In the matter of sin, there is no "one little sin."

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
Psalms 66:18