We’ve all been tempted. But have you ever talked yourself into doing something wrong? I think we all have. It reminds me of the kid’s cartoon of the devil whispering in the ear. But it’s really not the devil – it’s me. I’m trying to talk myself into doing something wrong.
I wrote an earlier article and shared a few of the rationalizations we tell ourselves to do wrong. You can read this article here: What voice do you listen to in temptation? I’d like to continue with three other rationalizations we use to convince ourselves that it’s okay to do wrong?
1. Nobody will find out.
For me, one of the deterrents to doing wrong is getting caught. When I was a kid I didn’t want my parents to find out. As a student, I didn’t want my teacher to find out. As an employee I didn’t want my boss to find out. And now, I don’t want my wife or children or church or the news media to find out. So, it’s a lot easier not to do it – this ensures I won’t get found out.
But if we think we might get away with it, the voice of temptation gets louder. That’s one of the dangers of the internet. Nobody will find out, we think. That’s one of the reasons people start stealing from their company. They think nobody will find out.
But the Bible reminds us that ‘your sin will find you out.’ Sin will eventually find its way into the public eye. It is a straight-up lie to think that we can get away with our sin. It will be found. And the longer it stays hidden, the more destructive it will be when it is revealed. So, it is better to reveal it now, no matter how painful you may think it will be.
2. It’s only once.
Any bad decision is a bad decision – even one. But I guess it’s better to do something bad only once than repeat it. So sometimes we convince ourselves that’s it’s okay to do wrong once. Maybe it’s something we’ve never done before and we’re just curious what it’s like. So, let’s just try it once.
The one problem in this thinking is that a habit of sin always starts with the first time. One leads to two, and this could lead to a lifetime of wrong behavior. Once you do it once, it’s a lot easier to do it the second time. Remember the anxiety you felt when you were trying to get the courage to do wrong? And once you did it, you may have felt real bad or maybe you felt pretty good. Regardless, after a while, the temptation came back, but your anxiety wasn’t near as strong. It’s easier to do wrong the second time than it was the first time.
But if you never take the first drink, you’ll never be a drunk. If you never flirt with the guy that’s not your husband, you’ll never have the affair. If you never steal the first item, you’ll never be a thief. Don’t sin the first time.
3. It’s going to be ‘so’ good.
Sin is enjoyable, and exciting, and fun. Let’s not lie about this. It is. There’s something about doing wrong that excites us. I know people who stole things from a store, but had the money to pay for it in their pocket. They stole just for the thrill of it. Doing wrong has an evil appeal in each of us.
We may not be tempted with the same thing as someone else. We all have different likes and dislikes. So while one may be tempted with sex another may be tempted with gossip. But every temptation makes us feel happy or content or fulfilled.
The fun of sin is of a short duration. It won’t last. Often, we need more or more often to get the same thrill as the first time. And eventually it’s going to be worse than we ever thought it could be. I think God is going to make sure that the punishment for the sin we commit is worse than the fun we had doing it. Maybe the next time we think of doing it, we’ll think better.
Please turn a deaf ear to the voices that tempt you to do the wrong thing, even if it’s your own inner voice.
You can read my earlier post: What voice do yo listen to in temptation?