The enemy always comes to tempt us – that is simply the reality we face. A wise Christian psychologist explained the common dynamic where leaders fall into long-term hidden sin. When temptation comes, conviction from the Holy Spirit comes right along with it. However, if we ignore that conviction and choose to indulge the temptation instead, sin takes root in our lives. From there, we hide it away and cover it up rather than confessing it and bringing it into the light. Each time the temptation cycle repeats, that sin gets its hooks deeper into us and becomes harder to resist. Ultimately our hearts can become conquered by demonic oppression if this pattern goes unchecked.
Understanding the Temptation Cycle
There’s a common temptation/sin cycle. When the enemy comes with temptation, conviction from the Holy Spirit arrives as well, appealing to our conscience. However, if we dismiss that conviction and indulge the temptation, sin gains an initial foothold in our lives. From there, sin acts like a virus – replicating and spreading bit by bit unless stopped.
Hiding and Covering Transgressions
Once we open a door through temptation, shame and secrecy often follow as we hide what we’ve done underneath layers of religious performance and effort. Without the light of confession and accountability, sin gathers momentum like a snowball rolling downhill. As behavior gets driven deeper underground, the accompanying rationalization and self-deception gain strength over time. Tragically, this dark undercurrent can masquerade successfully for years without exposure.
Saying “Yes” to Conviction
But the solution lies right at the beginning of the cycle – saying “yes” to conviction rather than dismissing it or scheduling it for later. Quick obedience to the Spirit’s whispers protects our hearts from hardening through incremental compromise. As John Bevere writes, we never stand still spiritually – we either go towards truth or slide towards deception. May God grant us ears to hear and tender hearts to respond!
Covering Up Our Struggles
When we say “yes” to temptation and “no” to conviction, several consequences follow. Not only does that behavior take root, but a natural instinct kicks in to hide what we’ve done wrong. Just like Adam and Eve scrambling to cover their nakedness, we conceal our spiritual failings underneath fig leaves of secrecy, rationalization and religious performance.
When we say “yes” to temptation and “no” to conviction, several consequences follow.
Rather than confessing and exposing sin to get help, we often declare “Never again!” while continuing behind closed doors. Without accountability, temptation returns and finds a heart increasingly desensitized. As this cycle repeats, resistance grows weaker each round through compromised integrity and unjudged sin.
An Open Door For the Enemy
Despite our best efforts, covered transgressions rarely stay hidden forever. In the courts of heaven, denying conviction and indulging temptation constitutes saying “yes” to the devil’s influence in our lives. As he gains legal access through unchecked sin patterns, the enemy progressively blinds our discernment of truth, accelerates justification of wrongdoing and pads layers of deception to prevent exposure.
What begins as flirting with temptation opens the door to demonic oppression and conquest further down the road – if we refuse to confess and take necessary stands. But in any season, there is hope through accountability, counsel and declaring Jesus supreme authority once again in every area.
The Gradual Spiritual Downgrade
A dangerous dynamic unfolds when we repeatedly trade the Spirit’s conviction for the immediate gratification of sin. Each compromise makes us incrementally weaker, as we forfeit spiritual strength bit by bit in exchange for the enemy’s offerings. Persisting in this pattern provides the leverage for demonic powers to gain influence and an ownership stake over sections of our heart.
In the long run, covered sin also corrodes our ability to discern truth from deception. As Hebrews warns, unaddressed iniquity leads us into a “deceitfulness” where our thinking grows warped enough to justify behaviors previously unimaginable. Masking transgressions requires incredible skill over time – not just to hide it from others but also to silence the protesting voice of our conscience.
Heeding Conviction Quickly
That’s why it’s imperative we learn to heed the Spirit’s conviction promptly when it comes. Saying “yes” to those whispers right away protects us from falling prey to sin’s incremental hardening effect over time. If we make room for “small” sins to slide, we open the door for “big” sins to destroy later on. Just as a wise mariner stays vigilant about minor course corrections, we must guard our hearts against compromise that doesn’t seem like an immediate threat. Maintaining short accounts with God defuses many issues before they detonate out of control and that’s the way forward today.
The Key of David 