Without Consent

The young man grew up in a rough neighborhood.

There was a very good chance he would become yet another statistic.

When a friend stopped at his house, determined to teach another boy a lesson, he was tempted to go with him.

But he remembered a simple Bible verse his mother had taught him in his childhood: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent” (Proverbs 1:10).

With those words burning in his mind, he was able to tell his visitor that, no, he wouldn’t be joining him. You can guess how the story ends.

The tough guy ended up serving time, while the subject of this story went on to become an internationally known figure who has made an enormous contribution to the betterment of the world. If the Bible verse had not flashed into his mind at that time, things almost certainly would have been very different.

Proverbs 1:10 teaches us something.

When sin comes knocking at your door, you have a choice to make. Our friend chose not to go with sin. He did not consent.

Sin doesn’t happen without your approval.

It is certainly true that people can consent to sin without even really thinking about it, largely because they are on autopilot.

The reason you don’t think about God at that time is that you are not surrendered to God at that moment. You blew up before you considered your rising blood pressure, or you cheated on an exam before stopping to really think about the consequences because that’s the kind of person you have let yourself become.

When temptation comes, do not consent.

God does not ask you to fight in your own strength.

When temptation comes, when you are enticed to sin, if you will choose not to consent and choose instead to surrender to God and allow Him to work in you, you will discover that the power of God will work in your life.

When you are tempted, choose to yield to God rather than consent to sin.

The devil has plans for your future.

Yielding to God gives Him permission to alter those plans and ensure your eternal future.