Sinning and Sneaking (When Nobody's Looking)
When Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand, he lookedaround to make sure no one was watching. ''Glancing this way and that and seeing no one...'' Ex 2:12. Ever done something wrong when nobody was watching? We all have! One pastor says he counsels people whose business travel makes them vulnerable. 'An executive finds that away from home she's inappropriately flirtatious, even though she loves her husband and wants to remain faithful. A high-powered professional struggles with [sexually explicit images] in hotel rooms, even though he's not tempted by them at home. The Internet sets innumerable ethical traps...By frequenting on-line chat rooms a wife becomes entangled in an emotional relationship with another man ...A husband struggles with the availability of Internet pornography...The sense that noone was watching allowed them to sin in ways they would never sin in ordinary, observed life.' Here's what you need to realize: (1) God sees you when nobody else does. When you couple that with a desire to please Him and not grieve Him, it makes a difference in how you act. (2) 'The godly offer good counsel...' (Ps37:30). If you know you're vulnerable in a certain area, share it with someone who will pray for you and hold you accountable. Nowadays there are even computer programs that will monitor your Internet activity and send areport to others. We use a few of these programs on out phones and home computers. (3) Avoid situations that afford you too much privacy. One woman closed her personal bank account and opened a joint account with her husband because her spending was out of control. God created you to live in relationship with others, and the more open and honest you are, the less likely you'll be to stray. Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.We all wrestle with our integrity on a daily basis and we usually fall when we lose our connection with God and those who help keep us connected to Him by forming that "circle of friends." What can we do? We can stay prayed upand read and meditate on God's Word. We can also ensure that we are listening to that tiny voice (Holy Spirit) that tells us the right thing to do.


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