"Take Heed Lest You Fall"

By David G. Hellwig, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies • BMA Seminary

I write this article with a heavy heart. Many of us have heard recently of some well-known and influential pastors who committed moral failures. This news should cause all of us Christians to pause and pray for the families, friends and churches of these men, as well as any victims and their families. Those closely impacted by these sins are hurting, as trust has been shattered on many levels. Trust can be restored over time through God’s grace, but these men, their families and their ministries will never be the same.

When they heard these devastating reports, some may have thought, “I would never do that!” Do not deceive yourself. The potential to fall morally resides in every one of us. The Apostle Peter aptly wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). Satan wants to destroy you. Satan wants to destroy me. Peter wrote this verse within the context of Christian suffering for the gospel’s sake, but let us not forget that Satan possesses a full arsenal of “hurt” he can unleash upon a Christian who fails to guard his or her heart and mind.

We must avoid the prideful attitude that we would never fall morally. The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers of this when he wrote, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Cor. 10:12). We should let this Scripture speak directly to us, “Take heed lest you fall.” While none of us are beyond Satan’s fiery darts of temptation, we, as believers, possess God’s power to overcome the onslaughts of Satan. Paul went on to say, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Cor. 10:13). While Satan’s temptations may be powerful, our God is far more powerful!

The question arises, “What can we do to avoid such moral failure?” The answer can be found in the sufficiency of God’s Word. I do not present the following as an exhaustive prescription, but there are five things Scripture tells us to do that can help Christians battle the temptation to sin:

• First and foremost, hide God’s Word in your heart — The psalmist wrote, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). God’s Word can serve as a great protector over our hearts and minds. However, God’s Word does not come to us by osmosis. Merely possessing a copy of God’s Word is not enough. We must immerse ourselves in its contents through contemplative study, meditation and memorization. If you fail to make personal Bible study a regular part of your Christian walk, you have set yourself up for failure and have allowed Satan to gain a foothold in your life.

• Do not place anything impure before your eyes — King David, who experienced his own moral failure, wisely wrote, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalm 101:3). In the modern world of social media, streaming services, movies and the internet, there is no shortage of vile images that can be placed before us. It has been said that the gutters along the information highway are wider and deeper than the highway itself. Even beyond electronic means, we must not allow ourselves to be attracted to those who are not our spouses. We should avoid placing ourselves in compromising situations or positions.

• Flee fornication — Paul said it best, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body” (I Cor. 6:18). Did you hear Paul carefully? He did not say to stand around and prove how spiritual you are in bearing up under sexual temptation. He clearly said, “Flee!” Take a page out of Joseph’s book when he fled from the clutches of Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:12). To entertain sexual sin is to play with fire! Remove yourself from such situations.

• Resist the devil — Obedience to this command comes with a promise, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Satan possesses power, but as believers, we possess the power of God to resist the devil. He can be resisted, and we must resist him. Furthermore, we should take Paul’s advice: “Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Rom. 6:11-12). Rather, submit yourself to God (James 4:7) and draw near to God with the promise that He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

• Pray for God’s protection from the evil one —When Jesus taught His disciples to pray in His great Sermon on the Mount, He encouraged them to pray specifically, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” (Matt. 6:13). We do, indeed, need to resist the devil, but, above all, we need to pray for God’s protection from evil. The end of Matt. 6:13 can literally be translated as “deliver us from the evil one.” Evil has a face, and it belongs to Satan. He hates you and wants to destroy you. Do not give him a victory in your life. God can protect you from him. Pray for this protection every day!

If you are contemplating sinning according to the lust of the flesh, don’t do it! It is not worth it. Such sins will destroy you, your family, your reputation and your ministry. Let us pray for one another that Satan’s temptations will not destroy us. Let us be committed to hiding God’s Word in our hearts, look only on what is pure, flee fornication, resist the devil and pray daily for God’s protection.

If you have committed a moral failure, God’s grace will see you through the process of healing and restoring trust with those impacted by your sin. Above all, confess your sin to God and others so that the healing process can begin (I John 1:8-9; Gal. 6:1-2; James 5:16).