The Unwilling Accomplice

Let's imagine for a minute that you had a group of friends in college that you loved hanging out with.  They were a lot of fun - you never quite knew what they were going to do next.  Your parents had tried to discourage you from hanging out with them, they knew about their tendency to push the limits on things but you always had so much fun with them that you refused to listen. 

 

One day you all decide to go to Seven-Eleven to grab some drinks for the evening.  Everyone piles into a car and off you go   You're standing in front of the refrigerators when it happens.  One of your friends pulls out a gun and demands that the cashier hand over all the money from the drawer. 

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You stand frozen in time as you realize what is going on, unable to move, unable to speak.  Your friends  grab whatever they can and race out to the car.  What are you going to do now?  You never wanted this to happen and yet you are a part of it regardless of how you feel or what you know or didn't know.  You have just become an unwilling accomplice.

 

Have you ever thought about how the Holy Spirit must feel when you are looking at pornography, reading Fifty-Shades of Grey, gossiping with a friend, harboring bitterness in your heart, yelling at your children, or emotionally cheating on your spouse?

 

God isn’t just watching what you do, He lives INSIDE of you (if you’re a follower of Jesus) and when you sin He becomes an unwilling accomplice.  Is it any wonder that our sin doesn’t just make Him sad but grieves Him to the core? 

 

Look at what Ephesians 4:30 (The Message) says, “Don’t grieve God.  Don’t break his heart.  His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself.  Don’t take such a gift for granted.”

 

God wants so much more for you and me than to be trapped in our sin, defeated and discouraged.  That’s why He gave us the Holy Spirit!  He wants us to KNOW that we have the power living in us to overcome sin and to live victorious, Spirit-driven lives. 

 

Don’t let the Holy Spirit be the Unwilling Accomplice of your sin.  Give up, surrender and let Him be the Willing Participant in your life as He fills and makes you fit for Himself!