Is it just me, or do some of the commercials for medicine on TV seem a bit OFF. I mean there are cures for whatever ails you and they're right there at the half time of the game you're watching with ALL the details... even if you're not real keen on hearing about them.
It doesn't matter if you're suffering from high blood pressure, insomnia, acid reflux, or some other malady... there's a pill, a powder, a spoon full or some other easy to swallow quick fix for the affliction of the day. And the fix is as close as your phone call to your doctor. Now don't get me wrong, here. I praise God for the fact that He has called people and gifted them in finding medications for sicknesses and disease. He IS the Great Physician, after all, and it is by His hand that people are dedicated to the research necessary to find such amazing wonder drugs and remedies. I thank God for them and for the people who've discovered them.
BUT... have you ever noticed what happens at the end of one of those commercials? Have you ever paid attention to what the guy who's talking 364 mph is saying? He begins by saying something like; "Possible side effects may include..." and then he runs down the list of what all else can happen to you if you take it. If I've got indigestion, and I decide to take some little purple pill, after I find out what all else can happen, I'm not so sure I want one!!!
I have a hard time deciding if trying to cure my indigestion is worth, sleeplessness, dizziness, blurred vision, hearing loss, heart attack, stroke, some sexual side effects, irritability, skin rash, fainting, siezures, and in some isolated cases, permanent disability or death. GOOD GRIEF! You can say what you want, I'll take a good old case of heart burn any day over some of these "possible side effects".
I find it somewhat strange that these bear so much resemblance to sin in our lives. Our enemy, the devil, will be glad to tell you what his plan will "fix", but he never tells you what the side effects are. He'll tell you how much better you'll feel, but he never tells us what the cost REALLY is. He'll gladly offer a remedy for some "urge" we happen to be dealing with, but you'll never hear him say; "Possible side effects may include, loss of friends, loss of family, damage to personal credibility and integrity, shame, guilt, feeling of failure and disappointment, damage to personal witness and loss of intimacy with Christ, who loves you... and in some rare instances permanent spiritual disability, and spiritual death."
What a shame it is, when we forget about the side effects of sin in our lives. It would be nice if some little voice would pop into our hearing with the words, "Possible side effects may include...", BEFORE we step off into something we ought not to. I fully realize that hind sight is 20 / 20, but if we'll allow some of the mistakes we've made in the past to alert us... maybe we'll be a little more conscious about falling into the same pit over and over. I'm absolutely sure of one thing... our enemy will NOT warn us in advance... BUT IF we're paying attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we might hear Him say... "Wait, son (or daughter), don't do that... because possible side effects my include..." And the next time you hear that, just remember, it might not be your conscience... it very well may be the Holy Spirit.
And... I'm pretty sure He won't say it so fast that you can't understand Him. He loves us that much. Hey... It's just a thought.
Pastor Eddy
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