Choices Have a Cost

“So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”

2 Corinthians 2:11

One of the greatest lessons we can learn in life is that our choices have consequences. Just like in math when 2+2=4, when we do A and choose B, we get C. Maturity is the ability to think about the results of our choices BEFORE we do them. We need to know the cost of our choice.

Since the beginning of days, Satan has been tricking humans with temptation to make bad choices. But he knows how to hide the cost until it is too late. There are many examples of this in the Bible: • Adam and Eve: their choice cost them a life in paradise. Now had to work for food.

• Esau: his choice cost him his birthright. • King David: his choice caused him to lose his baby boy. • Moses: he was not able to enter the Promised Land. • Ananias and Sapphira: their choice cost their life.

These are just a few of the examples in the Bible of people who paid a high price for their choice. And the devil will tempt you with many things: fame, money, success, pleasure but he does not show the cost. He will entice you to smoke cigarettes with big advertisements of people smoking and having a good time. But he does not show you the picture of someone with lung cancer. He shows you people having a great time drinking beer and laughing with friends, but he doesn’t show you the result of someone driving while intoxicated and killing someone, or someone getting drunk and fighting. He shows you how much fun premarital sex is but he does not show you the brokenness of your life when you are pregnant but not married or the cost of sexually transmitted diseases that can affect you for the rest of your life. He entices you to gossip about your brother or sister in Christ but he does not show you the pain of a broken relationships.

The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is DEATH (Romans 6:23). But Jesus came to bring life. We can choose life! We can choose repentance. We can choose to say NO to sin. During the days of Covid confinement, everyone was talking about how to protect themselves from the virus. Wearing face masks, social distancing, washing hands, so many theories on how we can protect ourselves from this invisible virus. But do we take as great a care to protect ourselves from sin?

The Bible tells us to be on our guard. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11). We need our protection! We cannot be ignorant of the schemes of the devil. We need to guard our tongue (like a face mask) against the sins of our tongue (see James 3). We practice ‘social distancing’ by keeping ourselves away from sin and places of temptation. We wash ourselves in repentance often. These are all ways we can protect ourselves from sin.

Daily we put on the armor of God. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. The Word of God is our weapon! The enemy goes around like a roaring lion but sometimes he is silent and we must stay aware. Sin is like an invisible virus. Be on your guard! Protect yourself from paying the high cost of bad choices.

Let the Holy Spirit guide you and the Word of God give you wisdom to make good choices.