Probing Proverbs 14:1 A wise woman builds her home, but a
foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
We read this passage and shake our head…but fail to see how we
ourselves do the same thing! The subject that needs to be addressed here is one
we are all familiar with…Sin. There is no doubt that all of mankind has a personal
adversary that hates them. He was the author of sin, and loves to hate those
that God loves. From the beginning he has tried to infect, impact and guide
humans into do the wrong thing. It started in the garden, but I believe one of
the greatest “head’s up” is found shortly after the fall. Cain was jealous of his
brother Abel because Abel brought the proper offering to the Lord and Cain had
not! Cain became angry and God confronted him about it:
Genesis 4:6–7 Then the Lord
said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you
do well, will not your countenance
be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its
desire is for you, but you must master it.”
I think this is such a great picture of how our enemy works
using our own sin nature against us. Notice sin is spoken as if it has a life
of it’s
own…and
in a sense this is true. What I believe is so important is how our enemy and
sin are intertwined. Our Proverb brings to light the reality of how sin works.
Too many times individuals try to place all the accountability
for their sin on Satan, which is very counter-productive! If we are honest, most
times Satan does not have to work that hard to lead us to sin! “The
Devil made me do it” really does not bring reality to our struggles and in fact will
enable our sin nature to remain hidden. Yes the demonic realm is always at work
behind the scenes, but we must face the truth that our own sin nature is the
most active participant in our struggle with sin. James gives the best picture
of this battle. 
James 1:13–15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am
being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does
not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed
by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when
sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
This Truth brings to light why accountable discipleship is so
essential for all believers.
God created us for community, not just the “fellowship”
side, but also the “admonishment” side! We need to help each other with our
battle with sin! Discipleship brings transparency, which will produce growth in
our new nature, providing us strength to control the sin nature.
The So What: Who do you have in your life that will confront
you about sin? Are you proactively seeking individuals that you can begin an
accountability group with? Are you desiring spiritual growth s much that you
are willing to become Transparent with some individuals?
