GOD’S PRESCRIPTION

By Monica Bates

If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [ignoring My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it." Genesis 4:7 (AMPC)

Apparently, sibling rivalry is as old as humanity itself. With the Bible’s first mention of “sin,” we meet the well-known brothers Cain and Abel. Now when Abel offered his first to the Lord— the fat of the firstborn of his flock—the Lord respected it. Abel followed God’s instructions, so his offering was accepted. Cain, on the other hand, offered the Lord some fruit of the ground—ignoring God’s instruction. It wasn’t the first of Cain’s income, it wasn’t the best, and it wasn’t from his heart. Yet, Cain grew angry when God didn’t accept his offering. To Cain, this rejection may have felt like the fault of his goody-two-shoes brother Abel one-upping him, but it wasn’t about comparison.

Cain’s feelings of rejection, annoyance, anger, jealousy, shame, and resentment probably flooded his system. But, instead of going to God to resolve those feelings, Cain gave them residence, allowing them to fester in his heart and mind. The enemy had a heyday tempting Cain to lash out and get rid of what he perceived to be the source of his pain: his brother Abel.

The Fall of humanity had already happened. Adam, Eve, and their children had already been banned from the Garden of Eden, but the cause of their fall hadn’t exactly been given the name “sin” yet. Instead, God introduces the word “sin” to us through Cain’s disobedience and unresolved feelings.

When pain takes residence in our hearts and we allow the enemy to speak into it (instead of God), he gains easy access to our emotions. That influences our thoughts, which influences our beliefs, which ultimately determines our actions toward our- selves and others. When we experience pain, the enemy is quick to offer a fast and easy way out. But the devil is a liar, and his goal is always to make things worse—to turn us away from God and either attack or withdraw from people. That’s what sin does: it numbs us toward God, and it hurts people—ourselves and others. It always has consequences. God warned Cain that sin was crouching at the door ready to overpower him. This story shows us that allowing the enemy to speak into our emotions and pain, ultimately leads to even more pain and devastation.

Do you have any unresolved feelings, pain, or offenses today? Follow God’s prescription and go to Him before the door to sin is opened. He offers a long-lasting, peaceful remedy for our hearts.

Prayer

Father, I come to You with my pain today, and I ask You to fill me instead with Your wisdom, purpose, and plan. I choose to trust and believe in my heart that You are for me. I choose Your fix for my life instead of listening to the enemy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Memory Verse

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130 (ESV)