“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. ‘ Proverbs 10:12.

We teach our children the difference between right and wrong as soon as they can understand “yes” and “no.” When my son began to walk and could reach the small what-nots on my living room table, I would say, “No, no, don’t touch that.” Of course, because he was a small, curious child, he would go back, even watching me with those big eyes to see what I would say; after about three or four times, he would finally reach out and touch it. I would simply shake my head, slightly tap his little hand, and say no, and he would move away. If a toddler can recognize that a wrong decision brings a negative consequence, what about us?

We live in a fallen world, allowed to be ruled by Satan until God calls time out. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12. 

Satan deceived man into disobedience to the will of God in the Garden of Eden, and he is still doing so today. So, what does that mean for the born-again Christian? For those who tend to believe that, because we are saved, it is possible to sin without consequences, I say to you…wake up!

Yes, every born-again believer is saved and sealed until the day of redemption, but sin still has power and presence in this world. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Romans 6:11-12. God has given us free will to make the decision between right and wrong…which will you choose?

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes sang a song entitled…Wake up, Everybody; it points to the hurtful sin in this world and how we can change our lives to make things better for the next generation. We all need to wake up; we are held accountable for our choices in this life. Hatred, greed, jealousy, malice, and all other immoral behaviors are the results of sin. Everybody…saved or not, living in this flesh, has the propensity to fall prey to such actions. Our archenemy, that formidable foe Satan, seeks to undermine and destroy all humanity!

God is love and forgives us through His amazing grace. He is also just, holy, and righteous; He hates all sin. If you are not born again, the Bible states in Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Sin has temporal and eternal consequences, so now is the time to get right with God.

Obedience brings innumerable blessings from God, such as His unspeakable joy, peace, and love; so wake up, everybody, no more sleepin’ in bed and falling for the lie of the great deceiver. God will deal with the injustice and sin of this world. My senior pastor, Rev. N. J. McClain, Sr., often says, “Don’t go too far and don’t stay too late.” We will give an account for the deeds in this life.

Let us strive every day to walk in the marvelous light of God, denouncing sin and making a difference in this dark world…as Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes sang…Wake-Up, Everybody:

Wake up everybody, no more sleepin in bed

No more backward thinkin time for thinkin ahead

The world has changed so very much

From what it used to be so

There is so much hatred war an’ poverty

God’s blessings of grace be with us all!