OVERTAKEN

Not all of us are football fans, but I want you to think with me about something. What is the difference between a player getting tackled and a player making a run for the end zone to score a touchdown? Let’s face it there are eleven guys that want to crush the guy with the ball. They will too unless the ball carrier’s teammates prevent the defensive team from taking hold of him and throwing him to the ground.

Sin is kind of like that. Satan wants to catch us with temptation to sin in all kinds of ways. Our adversary’s desire is to overtake us and crush us spiritually. From time to time he succeeds and sacks us for a loss. What are we to do when we find ourselves overtaken by sin? We all may know the answer, but when we are in that situation we may find it hard to do the right thing.

I’ve never played organized football, but I’m told that sometimes when you get hit it really knocks you for a loop. Pastor George has told me that the last time he was hit he was knocked unconscious and woke up looking out the ear hole of his helmet. When you take such a hard hit you need help to get up. I think that better describes what it is like to be overcome by sin.

Just like the football player who has his ‘bell rung,’ sin makes you stupid, so that your head is spinning and you don’t know how to find your way back to God. Thankfully we are not in this alone. We are a part of a team, the family of God—the church, charged with the responsibility of helping each other.

• Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself,
  or you also may be tempted.
  Galatians 6:1NIV

The fact of the matter is that while I may know that I need to repent of my sin, if I have be caught by sin then I’ve been trapped and need the help of other believers to come to my rescue. Paul charges the Galatians with the responsibility of restoring fallen believers. This is not an easy process, for the on who has sinned or for those who go to help.

For the one who sins their restoration may be a painful process of repentance and healing. When a finger or a shoulder is dislocated it hurts to put it back into its socket. Likewise those who restore the fallen believer must be aware that the enemy wants to overtake them as well. If we aren’t careful we too can be hit hard by sin.

When it comes to overcoming sin we need to remember that we are a team. None of us can stand alone. What do you think?