Farther..Longer… And Cost You More…

Can you imagine someone calling Jesus a deceiver? That’s exactly what the religious leaders called Him when they went to see Pontius Pilate. They called Jesus a deceiver. What type of mindset does a person have to have in order to call the Author of Truth a liar? Before you answer that, remember it’s what sin does to us that causes this spiritual blindness, which leads to this distorted view of truth. We all have that potential in us, waiting for the right moment to spring into action when Satan attacks us with his temptations. These religious leaders were so self-absorbed with protecting their way of life that they missed the very Person Whom they were supposed to be worshipping, standing right in front of them. The power of sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. When sin tempts you to run from God, turn instead and run toward Him. It might seem counterintuitive, but the opposite of what you think is right when under its influence is exactly the remedy to your dilemma.

62 The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. 63 They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while He was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent His disciples from coming and stealing His body and then telling everyone He was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”65 Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” 66 So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it. Matthew 27:62-66