Get Your Sin Under Control or Sin Will Control You

““Reuben, my first son, you are my strength, the first proof of my manhood. You were the most honored and powerful of all my sons. But your passion was like a flood you couldn’t control. So you will not remain my most honored son. You climbed into your father’s bed and slept with one of his wives. You brought shame to my bed, to the bed you lay on.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭49:3-4‬ ‭ERV‬‬

“Simeon and Levi are brothers. They are violent with their swords.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭49:3, 5‬ ‭ERV‬‬
“Their anger is so strong that it is a curse. They are too cruel when they are angry. They will not get their own land in the land of Jacob. They will be spread throughout Israel.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭49:7‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I am rereading through the book of Genesis and I was amazed by what happened when Jacob was blessing his 12 sons at his deathbed. Jacob’s words were not meant to be cruel or stroking their self-esteem with compliments. He was speaking prophetically of the future. Listen carefully to what these 3 sons heard.

Rueben should have received the leadership role or the position of patriarch. He also should have received the double portion of the inheritance reserved for the eldest child. However, Jacob reminded him that Rueben slept with his stepmother, the nurse maid of Rachel. He told Rueben that he was not able to control the flood of his passions. This event happened many years but he obviously still had not learned to control this. There was no record in scripture of a change. He gave up his inheritance in the Promised Land. Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, replaced him! Incredible!

The next two sons, Levi and Simeon, were equally called out and gave up their inheritance. Levi and Simeon, were known as the instigators of the plan to punish the rape of their sister, Dinah.

“Three days later the men who were circumcised were still sore. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, knew that the men would be weak at this time. So they went to the city and killed all the men there. Dinah’s brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and left.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭34:25-26‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Jacob said of them, “Their anger is so strong that it is a curse. They are too cruel when they are angry.” Do you know anyone like that? Their anger cuts to the core. Their remarks draw blood. The consequence of their being unable to get their anger under control was the loss of their inheritance. Levi is still named as one of 12 tribes but the Levi nation did not receive any land because the priests could not own land. Costly price to not ever control your anger.

We all have a bent toward a particular sin problem. I have a bent toward gluttony but for the past 5-7 years, I have worked hard to get that under the Lord’s control. I am always one step away of falling back. You may have a problem with pornography, alcoholism, anger, homosexuality(yes, that is mentioned specifically in the Bible as a sin problem, regardless of what society says), greed, etc.

The price to not deal with this area of sin in our life...giving up the promises that God has for us. Even worse, our legacies are affected. If you study the Bible you will see that the families of Rueben and Simeon disappear from the picture. They never attain the inheritance that God had for them either.

Today make a decision that you want Jesus to be Lord over each area of your life. Ask Him to take over those areas that you want to control. After making this decision, find accountability. I read this last week.

“To change the defects in your life, you have to have people in your life who tell you the truth. You’re not going to get well on your own; you’re going to need other people in your life. You’re going to need support. You’re going to need a small group. Change requires honest community. “ ~ Rick Warren

The ones that you will not have success in are the ones that you choose to keep secret. Find a godly, trained counselor. Find a small group at church and go until you love it. Join a Celebrate Recovery group on Wednesday night. The longer you believe that you can handle it on your own, the farther away you are from the Promised Land God has for you.