Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In 2005 I developed a UTI which eventually formed a culture in my blood. It nearly killed me. I felt like I was knocking on heaven’s door when I began seeing demons in my room. I praised the name of Jesus and they fled from before my eyes. Was I delusional? I cannot say, but real or not they fled when Jesus was praised, so I do not really care, the result was relief.

When sin gets under your skin and takes up residence your heart hardens. This is true for both believers and non-believers. Believers, having tasted of the glorious blessings are more likely to repent and return to restored relationship. I say more likely, I cannot say always. I am not going to make any statement about lost salvation. I will say that death is no longer having fellowship with God. Adam died spiritually the day he ate yet lived for hundreds of years.

If you have been living under the umbrella of God’s grace, receiving blessings and protection in right relationship with God, why risk losing that? When we ignore sin and allow it to become “our god” we suffer in the here and now. We are meant to have the abundant life in Christ. We cannot receive that abundant life while clinging to sin.

Song of Solomon 5:3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

Yes, in deed, how?

Acts 24:25 Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

Once again sin is like yeast in convenient packaging. Yeast now comes in dry cubes, easy to store and use. One of the drawbacks of “mother dough” is that it continually needs to be fed. It has to be used frequently, demanding much time and attention. So it is with obvious sin, which consumes and destroys life.

Insidious sin is craftier, more cunning. As the dry yeast packets are easily stored for use only as desired, packaged sin is waiting and available and takes little effort to indulge. We laughingly ignore the title “Sin City” because we love the food, theater, sporting events, and variety of offerings that attract large crowds. We may be strong enough in character to resist those other temptations, but the title was well earned. Many go just because “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

Packaging isn’t limited to cities like Las Vega, New Orleans, and Atlantic City. It isn’t limited to “Spring Beak” venues either. Just because adult book stores have been pushed out of growing family neighborhoods does not mean they have died and gone away. There is the internet. Free and easy access to the most prolific and ensnaring of all sin types, the voyeur.

Covetousness begins with the eye, looking upon the pretty package. Those packages always look attractive and easy to open. Traps are easy to get in and painful to get out.

Exodus 34:12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: