The Stupidity of Sinful Habits

Proverbs 26:11

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

This bit of wisdom really paints a picture, doesn't it?

Every time you return to your addictive, sinful habit, you are the dog.

Have you ever seen a dog puke a pile, and then come back a few minutes later and lick it up?  This is what you and I look like to God every time we return to pornography, or cigarettes, or cocaine, or gambling, or shopping, or junk food, or...you name it.  You know what yours is.  

I will share one of mine with you.  Pornography.  Pornography is a temptation I have to battle almost every day.  The challenges with pornography are that it's so easy to access in our internet age and also that it is so prevalent in our culture today.  "Sex sells".  Maybe it is so prevalent because it is so easy to get.

For me, the challenge is very difficult because of how young I was when I was first exposed to pornography.  I was somewhere between 10 and 12 years old.  There is never a good time for someone to be exposed to the depravity of pornography, but 12 years old is way too young.  I was way too immature, spiritually and emotionally.  One exposure was all it took for me.  It grabbed ahold of me and dominated my life for the next 20 years!  Being so immature, I didn't even begin to battle it until I was introduced to Leadership Development at age 32.  Before then I lived my life entirely for myself.  The entire decade of my twenties was marred by sex addiction.  It was the primary motivator for most of my daily choices.  I would go almost anywhere, anytime to indulge.    

The problem with any addiction or compulsive behavior is the damage it leaves in its wake.  I hurt a lot of people in those 20 years, caring about nobody but myself.  The number of damaged and destroyed relationships from that time is almost uncountable; none of us can ever really know the exponential damage of the ripple effect.  I do know that I hurt my family daily in those years.  The shame and guilt of my "secret sin" robbed me of my self-confidence and self-esteem.  I hated myself, and everybody around me paid the price.  I was argumentative.  I swore constantly.  I would say mean and hurtful words to anybody at anytime.  

Like I said before, at age 32 God threw me a lifeline.  He brought Leadership Development into my life.  That turned out to be the tool He used to bring me out of all of that.  Today, 10 years after starting my Leadership journey, I am married; I have an incredible son; and all of my relationships are better and stronger than at any time in my life.

In my teens and twenties God let me go my own way- daily returning to my folly.

In my thirties and forties He has brought me back to the path that I was supposed to be the whole time.  My life has literally been that of "The Lost Son" (Luke 15:11-31).  

The Takeaways

The first takeaway from my story is: God is Faithful.  He was always with me, always watching over me.  It is only by His grace that I am not demon-possessed or suffering eternal judgment in hell.  It is only by His grace that I was able to leave behind that life of selfishness and depravity.

Secondly, persistent sin destroys.  Because of my willful, sinful, selfish lifestyle I faced several years of demonic attack.  Also, I think I have made it clear that I hurt countless people and destroyed relationships.  The same is true for you.  Your "secret sin" that you think that no one knows about is ravaging the people who love you most.  Whether either of you realizes it or not, it is.  By you daily returning to your folly you are playing with fire.  The people who will be burned the worst are the people you claim to love the most.

Finally, you can put your folly behind you.  God loves all of His children, including you.  In fact, He loves you so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to pay the price for ALL of your sins.  He is powerful enough to pull you out of the pit you have fallen into.  He wants to help you, stop resisting Him!  You will never be totally free of the temptations, Satan knows our weaknesses; but God is powerful enough to help us resist Satan's  lies and temptations.

I still battle temptations to look at pornography, almost everyday, but now, I battle them instead of indulging in them.  God is powerful and God is love and can help you leave your folly behind.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit you can finally stop being the dog.

God bless

Jason Fredrick