CROSSING THE LINE - by neely

Everyone has a "line" in their life that they don't want to cross. That line for them is sin. They start off far from the line...everything is clear and guiltfree.
Then comes Satan. He's real but many don't want to believe that. He comes in with subtle smooth talk and flattering words. One step at a time he'll get you closer to the line. You might think "what's so bad about staying close to the line as long as I don't cross it?"
That thought comes from Satan himself. He'll tell you that you have control over yourself, the situation, and your life. He'll make you start believing in your own knowledge instead of God's. Then before you know it, you've crossed over. And you think "how did I get here and how did i lose control?" One subtle step at a time. He fooled you, and you believed him.
The closer you get to the line, the more cloudy things get. You start to question something you once believed in. You make compromises. Your beliefs start to change. God seems to be less clear and real in your life.
Satan will get you closer to the line by making himself unnoticed. He'll even use "loyal" friends to get you to sin. Not all loyal friends are good.
If you've found yourself on the other side of the line, please know it's not a long way back to truth. God's waiting for you and if you ask him, he'll make himself clear.

Here's a few verses that sort of go along with what i'm trying to say today.

Job 11:7 - The Message - Do you think you can explain the mystery of God? Do you think you can diagram God Almighty? God is far higher than you can imagine, far deeper than you can comprehend, Stretching farther than earth's horizons, far wider than the endless ocean. If he happens along, throws you in jail then hauls you into court, can you do anything about it? He sees through vain pretensions, spots evil a long way off— no one pulls the wool over his eyes! Hollow men, hollow women, will wise up about the same time mules learn to talk.

2 Corinthians 11:14 - Contemporary English Version - Even Satan tries to make himself look like an angel of light.

Romans 2:9 - The Message - But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up.

"Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of your body over mind, that thing for you is sin." - Susanna Wesley (john wesleys mother)