1 Samuel 5 is one of the greatest stories in the Bible, how the statue of the Philistine god Dagon is found face down before the ark of the Lord.
They pick him up, because he needs the help of humans, but the next morning, he is again face down before the Ark. Well, sort of. His head has been cut off, so have his hands. The rest of him is prostrate before the one true God.
Tumors break out on the people of the city. They send the Ark away and the same thing happens in the next city, sending everyone into a panic.
They are being taught the fear of the Lord, but they aren’t responding in the right way. The fear of the Lord shouldn’t send us running from God’s presence. It should send us running to Him, falling to our knees, humbling ourselves, and asking for mercy. Running from God is the wrong thing. It’s always the wrong thing.
We read that when Jesus returns every knee will bow before Him.
It is inevitable. Don’t delay the inevitable. Don’t try to run away from the inevitable. You are either fighting God or joining Him. There’s not going to be an in between.
Choose.
If you are holding onto a sin, choose to give it up for God. He can give you the power to overcome it. He can work that release from it in you. You just have to go to Him with it and ask Him. You have to want to get rid of it.
If you don’t want to lose your precious sin, your addiction, your comfort apart from God, whatever it is you turn to instead of turning to God, then you are on the wrong side. Your heart is in love with something other than God.
If you think you can’t give it up, then you aren’t believing the gospel, the good news!
Jesus set us free from sin. He didn’t just forgive us. He freed us from sin. We’re forgiven, freed from past sins. We’re free from choosing sin in the future because He made us slaves of righteousness. We’re free from the present sins that entangle us because He delivers and provides the way of escape. He is the way! Just cling to Jesus and trust Him to take you out of it. He can. He will if you give it to Him to take away.