Rule Over Sin

 

"You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

Genesis 4:7 (NLT)

The story of Cain and Abel is a well known one. These brothers each brought an offering to the Lord, one was accepted and the other not.

Having his offering being rejected caused Cain to become angry. He couldn't believe that God would reject what he had presented, pride was at the root of this anger and God gave him the opportunity to not allow this to over take him.

In asking Cain why he was angry, the Lord wanted to show him the danger that lay ahead if he gave into what he was feeling. The Lord made it clear that he was justified in his rejection of Cain's offering because it was not done well. We see in Hebrews 11:4, that Abel offered his offering in faith and in Genesis 4:4 it states that Abel offered the firstborn of his flock. 

The Lord warned Cain of what would happen if he didn't become a master of his sin. All he had to do was accept correction and seek to do well next time. However, as we know, Cain allowed that anger to burn within him, which resulted in the murder of his brother.

We are no different to Cain, we allow pride and stubbornness to hinder us from hearing correction or accepting when we have made a mistake. Like Cain, this anger can build within us and though we may not physically murder someone, it can lead us to think of ways to get vengeance or prove that we are better than them.

Ephesians 4:26 says,

'And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,'

When confronted in this way, even if we may be in the right, we should ask God to help us quench the anger, we should look to the Lord and allow His peace to overtake us. By focusing on him and not the thing or person that has angered us, we leave no room for the enemy to work his destruction in our lives.