Three Things People Never Ought To Trifle With: A Little Poison; A Little False Doctrine And A Little Sin. A Little Sin Will Add To Your Trouble, Subtract From Your Energy And Multiply Your Difficulty

Galatians 5:9, “Be careful! “Just a LITTLE yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.”  (NCV) 

One year I can remember that one of the Outreach team members got pretty sick. Lisa first developed a high fever; then muscular pain and then these excruciating headaches. It actually took several tests to uncover what had caused her debilitating symptoms. However, the doctor finally concluded that Lisa had contracted Lyme Disease; which of course is carried by little deer ticks. And as Lisa thought back, she remembered noticing a big red bite on her body a couple of months ago. It occurred to her that it might have been a deer tick, but you know, she didn't think much about it...UNTIL NOW.  

“So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed with all their tragic effects, that too little attention is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating effect.” (Eleanor Roosevelt). Or, better said in the Word of God: “Our vineyards are in blossom; we must catch the LITTLE foxes that Destroy the vineyards.” (Song of Solomon 2:15 CEV). Can you just get a mental picture of what that looks like? A LITTLE fox, DESTROYING a BIG VINEYARD!              

Well, Lisa's recovering from her extreme pain, but she'll be feeling the big effects of what that little deer tick did for months to come! One LITTLE tick - a lot of BIG problems!  

You see, that’s why it’s so important for you to check for those LITTLE things that can hurt you in a BIG way for a long time, and then get rid of them quickly!  

“Let us beware of the BEGINNINGS of backsliding, however SMALL. We never know what we may come to, if we once leave the king’s highway. The professing Christian who begins to say of any sin or evil habit, “it is but a LITTLE one,” is in imminent danger. He is sowing seeds in his heart, which will one day spring up and bear bitter fruit. It is a homely saying, that “if men take care of the pence the pounds will take care of themselves.” We may borrow a good spiritual lesson from the saying. The Christian who keeps his heart diligently in LITTLE things shall be kept from GREAT falls.” (J.C. Ryle). Apparently, the Word of God indeed agrees with J.C Ryle because it states: “A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church].” (Galatians 5:9 AMP). The danger of a LITTLE, is that it perverts the WHOLE CONCEPTION OF FAITH AND WHOLE CHURCH! Not just you! Remember, as the BODY OF CHRIST, every member is affected and infected by whatever transpires in ONE of the members! That’s why it’s so vital to address what’s ‘LITTLE’, because left unaddressed, it can lead to BIG destruction!

1 Corinthians 10:11-13, “These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” (MSG)

We have to do better, because we’ve already been warned of the danger of letting sin fester! Furthermore, if God wouldn't give us anything that we couldn't handle, why is it we can't seem to get a handle on a 'little sin?!'              

Which is why I reiterate, you have to check for those little things that can hurt you in a big way for a long time, and you need to get rid of them quickly! Actually, you need to do that spiritually, too! Because there are "little ticks" that we get bitten with that can, if they're not removed quickly, cause us more pain and more problems than we could ever imagine!

Don’t ever underestimate it; a minor invasion can cause major damage!  

There's an enlightening example of that in Hebrews 12:15, (“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby MANY be defiled;”). In this case, the "bite" is something that makes us have some hard feelings toward another person - something we all go through. And Scripture warns us: Hebrews 12:14-17(The Message Bible): "Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A THISTLE or two gone to seed can RUIN a WHOLE GARDEN in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears."

Let’s remember, it was the LITTLE foxes that DESTROYED a BIG VINEYARD! A LITTLE BITTERNESS that PERVERTED the CONCEPTION OF FAITH AND THE WHOLE CHURCH. And now, it’s ONE OR TWO THISTLES that RUIN THE WHOLE GARDEN! REMEMBER THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU DON’T THINK A LITTLE CAN DO A LOT OF BIG DAMAGE! 

Bitterness and resentment always begin just as this little root. But bitterness never stays a little root! It keeps growing into a poisonous plant that ends up hurting us and hurting others! A root of bitterness has destroyed marriages, churches, friendships, and ministries because it wasn't pulled up when it was SMALL! Because the little tick wasn't removed immediately after it affected someone's system, big pain and disease followed!

“Nothing darkens the eyes of the mind so much, and deadens the conscience so surely, as an allowed sin. It may be a LITTLE one, but it is not the less dangerous for all that. A small leak will sink a great ship, and a small spark will kindle a great fire, and a little allowed sin in like manner will ruin an immortal soul. Take my advice, and never spare a LITTLE sin.” (J.C. Ryle).

“For whosoever keeps the Law [as a ] WHOLE but stumbles and offends in ONE [SINGLE INSTANCE] has become guilty of [breaking] ALL of it.” (James 2:10 AMP).

This principle of dealing with sinful urges while they're SMALL applies to so many things in our life. Like a sexual fantasy or fascination, for example. You have to, as the Bible says, "Run from anything that Stimulates youthful lusts..." (2 Timothy 2:22 NLT), which by the way, aren't just a problem for youth! If you dwell on that wrong thought, that lustful attraction, it will quickly lead you where you never meant to go! You've got to yank it off the stage in your mind the second it shows up there, or it will embed itself in your mind like a tick and do damage that you never imagined! The word “stimulate” means to “trigger, arouse or spark.” And pulling a little trigger can take a life; arousing a lion can turn someone into a lunch and the damage of a little spark can be found in the Word of God: “A BIT in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A SMALL rudder on a HUGE ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a SPARK, remember, to set off a FOREST FIRE. A careless or wrongly placed word of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can RUIN the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.” (James 3:3-6 MSG). Maybe it’s just me, but it sure sounds like a “LITTLE” trigger, arouse and spark can do some BIG damage!

"Run from anything that Stimulates...Lusts..."! You have to get out of a wrong relationship sooner rather than later. Why? Because, you're going to be less likely to do the right thing the more time passes. It will never be easier to do it than now. When you start feeling the pull of an old weakness, respond immediately by running, not walking, in the other direction. In other words, follow Joseph’s lead: “On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants happened to be there. She grabbed him by his cloak, saying, “Sleep with me!” He left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house.” (Genesis 39:11-12 MSG).

Even those urges to hurt back, to get even, to brood over a wound; are all “little” "ticks" that, if you let them get under your skin, they will cause problems bigger than you ever thought and for much longer than you ever imagined! When the urge to respond sinfully bites you, you can't just let it go. You have to quickly and aggressively get rid of a spiritual "tick"! It may seem like "no big deal" right now. But if you don't deal with it now, it will do damage that will hurt you for a long, long time!

“Satan’s big sins (stealing, adultery, murder, etc.) start with little ones! The devil uses deception and trickery to tempt us into doing bad things. Littering, rolling stop signs, telling little white lies, keeping too much change from a cashier, padding our expense accounts at work, lying on your resume, gossiping, making fun of other people, disrespecting elders and etc. Just remember:“So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh.” (Romans 8:12 AMP).

So the next time you find yourself dismissing a “little” sin as no big deal, remember that you are training your conscience to accept unacceptable behavior.” (Kathryn Lehan).

Therefore, church, let today be the day that we re-exam our lives; habits; thoughts; speech; heart and the like and see what LITTLE we need to get rid of before it causes BIG damage! Be honest about your attitudes and behavior, because in the end, no one can correct these things but you. Take full responsibility and personal accountability to remain in the reflection of the image and likeness of the Godhead whereby we were created. Let's remember that we are Children of God; Ambassadors of Christ; and Representatives of Heaven! We are to carry out the characteristics of our God in our day-to-day lives, publicly and privately. And we can't do such a thing while entertaining that which would hinder us from seeing Jesus face in peace; hearing well done or making heaven our home.

"Don't let a little sin in; all hell will break loose." (Adrian Rogers)

"When men talk of a little hell it's because they think they have only a little sin and believe in a little Savior." (Charles H. Spurgeon)

"A little sin, like a little pebble in the shoe, will make a traveler to heaven walk very wearily." (C.H. Spurgeon)

"If you let even a little sin into your heart, it's going to contaminate your prayers. Your Christian life will not achieve its full potential." (Bill Hybels)

"If you're tolerating sin in your life, my friend, don't waste your breath praying unless it's a prayer of confession." (Bill Hybels)

"A Little Sin Will Add To Your Trouble, Subtract From Your Energy, And Multiply Your Difficulties."

"Little sins multiplied, become great. There is nothing less than a grain of sand - yet there is nothing heavier than the sand of the sea when multiplied. Little sins are very dangerous. A little leaven, leavens the whole lump; a little knife, may kill; a little leak in a ship may sink it. Though the scorpion is little - yet will it sting a lion to death! Just so, a little sin may at once bar the door of heaven; and open the gates of hell! The least sin will damn us - if not pardoned by the death of Christ." (Thomas Brooks)

"When Satan cannot get a great sin in, he will let a little one in, like the thief who goes and finds shutters all coated with iron and bolted inside. At last he sees a little window in a chamber. He cannot get it, so he puts a little boy in, that he may go round and open the back door. So the devil has always his little sins to carry about with him, and we let one in and say, 'O, it is only a little one.' Yes, but how that little one becomes the ruin of the entire man!" (Charles Spurgeon)

"There Are 3 Things Men Never Ought To Trifle With: A Little Poison; A Little False Doctrine; And A Little Sin." (J.C. Ryle)

"If there be a man before me who says that the wrath of God is too heavy a punishment for his little sin, I ask him, if the sin be little, why does he not give it up?" (Charles Spurgeon)

"If you allow one little sin to creep into your life, and think it doesn't matter, it will grow and grow until it affects your whole spiritual life, deflecting you from your primary aim of serving God." (Angus Buchan)

Blessings

J.P. Olson 

          www.thewordwithjpolson.com