I absolutely loved Brett’s message about David – The Trials of a King. The part that made me think the most was sin filling empty places. It is always looking to attack us. We are the most vulnerable when we’re hungry, angry, lonely and tired. So, pretty much, all the time! I never thought of it that way, but it made so much sense.

It starts with a small sin. We may not even notice it. We convince ourselves we can handle it on our own. And then if we’re not careful, we can just sink deeper and deeper until it gets too much. Like Brett’s backpack illustrated it so wonderfully, we’re adding one stone at the time until we can’t carry it anymore.

What a powerful message! It made me realise just how much we need help. Not just from God, but also encouragement and support from other people. People who will help us stay on the right path and gently push us away when we’re on the wrong one. How much difference does it make if we’re seeking support to stay in our sin or stay away from it!

So many times I’ve tried to make myself feel better for doing something I knew in my heart wasn’t completely right, but I just didn’t want to stop. I think we’ve all gone through times like that. I know I have more than I would want to. What Brett’s message reminded me was that we need to do something about it as soon as we notice it happening. We need to find the right support before our burden gets too heavy. And we need to keep praying and asking for strength. “You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13)

I’ve learned that the most dangerous thing is just trying to deny it. Or convince yourself that you’re not doing anything wrong. You feel empty and you want a quick fix. You deserve to feel better, don’t you? It’s not that big of a deal, especially if I’m not hurting anyone. And then after you get used to that feeling, it can soon develop into “I’m not hurting anyone on purpose. I just can’t help it. I’m only a human. Cut me some slack.” And somehow you get more and more comfortable with it. Where does it end?

This is why I believe it’s so important to never stop praying. Even if you don’t feel it, even if you get distracted, even if you feel distant from God, just don’t give up. It can give you more strength than you think. It can help you stay on the right path or at least not completely mess it up. We need to keep trying. If we stop, then we’re one step closer from falling deeper. And then each step makes it harder to turn back. The sin keeps growing and growing.

We all make mistakes. At times we make the wrong turns. And we may turn away from God because we know we’re not doing the right thing. We feel ashamed, guilty and we don’t want to be reminded of that even more. But what if we just keep talking to God? What if we’re just honest and admit that we’re weak and we need His help? It won’t happen overnight. In fact, it might take a while. We will still be tempted to do the wrong thing, but the more we seek Him, the less powerful the temptation will be. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).

– Tina