Proverbs - Don't Love SIN!

Proverbs 17:19-20

                                                                     

He loveth transgression that loveth strife:

and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.

Being attracted to sin and choosing to do it will lead to strife in our lives.  We will face conflict and tension associated with that sin that causes our lives to be weighed down unnecessarily.  If we find ourselves loving a sin more than loving the Lord strong enough to stop it, we will experience inner and outer tension that the Lord does not want us to have.  As women who desire to have a quiet spirit within us; hating sin is one way to nurture this type of inner peace.  Facing the sin and asking the Lord to give us a hatred for it, will help us be women who have the peace of God ruling our hearts as opposed to the deception of sin.  Eve was deceived when she partook of the forbidden fruit and as a result we have strife between our old sinful nature and that which is born of God.  Choosing to obey the Lord in boundaries He has set, strengthens our new man which is created after Him in holiness and true righteousness.  When we give in to sin, our old nature is fed and the strife between the two grows fiercer.

Exalting our gates is a term used for self confidence.  In bible times there were gates to the cities that controlled what went in and what went out.  A wall surrounded the city and these gates had to be strong enough to keep the enemy out when closed.  If we are women who boast in our own abilities to resist sin and keep things out, we are exalting our gates.  God says that if we do this, we seek destruction.  A haughty spirit comes before destruction.  It is so important that we strengthen gates and seek the Lord for the right filters for our lives, but it is quite a different thing than trusting in these precautions.  Our dependency has to be on the Lord and that He is guarding our lives.  Unless the Lord keeps the house, we work hard with nothing to show for it.  Unless the Lord is our watchman we will not have the resources to come against those unexpected attacks from the enemy of our soul.  Let us boast in the Lord, seek to hate sin and trust that He desires to protect us from strife and destruction.