Falling Into Fallacy

I am sure a few of you here remember, especially John, my baptism. I was walking from the changing area to the baptismal up on the platform and I was on the first step into the water when I lost my footing. I slid right down into the baptismal and brother John swan dived over me to make sure I didn’t hit my head. He had a full suit, leather shoes, and his phone in his pocket. I fell down the stairs at my apartment. I fell down the stairs at Carol’s house. I fell down the stairs to my basement. I have fallen out of bed and given myself a concussion. I fell at the auto mechanic shop in mud. I fell at work on ice. Most of the time I have fallen, it was because I was not paying attention. Most of the time when we fall it’s because we are not paying attention. 

A fallacy is defined as a mistaken belief, especially one based on an unsound argument or faulty reasoning. Fallacy is also known as guile or deception. Basically, a fallacy is jumping to conclusions without getting the facts, and believe you me, I could win an Olympic medal in jumping to conclusions. 

I want you to do an interactive activity with me tonight. Don’t worry, it only involves your mind. Imagine you are riding your bike down a steep hill. You are wearing shorts, flip-flops, and you left your helmet at home. You lose control on the hill and you scrape yourself up pretty bad. Maybe you even end up with a concussion. You decide that you are never going to ride a bike again because you reason that anytime you ride a bike, you will get hurt. Obviously this is flawed thinking. You were riding down a steep hill. You were wearing improper clothing and shoes for the occasion. You were likely going way too fast. You may have hit gravel, a loose stone, or some grass. The point is, bike riding was not the cause of your injuries. There are many other things to explore that were the cause of your injuries, including being unprepared. If you give into the fallacy mindset, you won’t ever ride a bike again. What you don’t know is that the next bike ride may be amazing but instead of reminding yourself about the other factors, you jumped straight into fallacy. 

We often hear people say "I don't go to church" or "I am not a Christian because the church hurt me." So you're going to give up on a relationship with the one who created you, possibly give up your whole salvation, and ultimately give up eternity because someone hurt you? The fallacy there is that a human that went to church hurt you, so therefore the church and God will hurt you. This is fallacy; a mistaken belief due to faulty reasoning. As Bishop Stearns said this weekend, if you leave the church because of man, then you were not there for the right reason to begin with. God will never leave you nor forsake you. 

A fallacy that even some of the most seasoned Christians have fallen into is the fallacy that "a little bit won't hurt" or "this is not a sin." A little glass of wine, a little flirting, a little peak at a graphic image, or a little bit of whatever might be a stumbling block for you WILL hurt you. There is a lot of truth in the phrase "a little goes a long way." Before I step on any toes, let me explain a little more. I am a single woman and I have been sober for six years. While someone else may have no issues with a glass of wine, because I am single and because I had an alcohol problem, it is a stumbling block and a temptation for me. It inhibits me and I know that I would lose control. It is not that way for everyone. 

The day I got sober, I was living in Coudersport. It was a Friday evening convention service and a friend and I decided once we left we were going to go celebrate her birthday. I had not yet gotten saved and we decided to go to the Crittenden and have some drinks. Both hammered, we got in the car and started to head towards 872. Right at the dollar general, as soon as we turned, we saw the flashing lights behind us. My stomach dropped. We were both drunk, I didn’t have a license, and I didn’t know many people except this friend’s family and a few people from church. I remember the officer walked up to the window and then walked back to his car. I texted Gina. I barely knew her but I panicked and didn’t know what else to do. I distinctly remember saying “God if you get us out of this. If this officer lets us drive home, I will never drink again.” I know that God was there that night, with an angelic escort, because the officer turned his lights off, followed us until we turned into the driveway, and I have never gotten drunk after that.

The Bible tells us in James 4:7 to submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Ephesians 6:10-11, and I am paraphrasing, says put on the whole armor of God so that you can resist the schemes of the devil. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God always provides us a way out of temptation 1 Corinthians 10:12 tells us even if we think we are standing firm, we need to be careful we don’t fall. It’s so important because it happens so often that resisting temptation and resisting the devil are mentioned in the bible over 100 times. 

 Let’s look at Joseph for a minute: Joseph was faced with a temptation. The Potiphar's wife decided she wanted to have an affair with Joseph. At first he tried to reason with her but she became a little more aggressive. In that moment, Joseph could have said yes and changed the course of his life, but he resisted temptation. Genesis 39:13 tells us that he grabbed his garment and he fled. Joseph ended up being put in prison because of her false accusations after he turned down her advances but God, like he always does, used his imprisonment to save nations. 

The things I mentioned earlier like the wine, the innocent flirting, or a little of anything that you may not even conceive as a temptation may seem innocent and for some people it is not a sin or a stumbling block but for others it is. I just want to reiterate that something that may cause me to sin may not cause you to sin and vice versa. That is what the devil does; he tells us, well so and so can have a glass of wine, why can’t I? It’s just one - insert stumbling block here - His only tactic is lying and a fallacy is a lie from the pit of hell. His biggest lie, the biggest fallacy, is a little bit won't hurt. Remember, it took one bit of the forbidden fruit, just a little bit of an apple, for mankind to fall. 

Perhaps the next biggest example of falling into temptation and how one single moment caused infamy in one man’s life is Judas. For mere coins, he betrayed Jesus and at the end of the day even though he immediately felt bad, sometimes we only have that one instance to make a choice. That is why it is so important to think and pray and seek counsel if something comes up that you feel bad about, are confused about, question, feel like it may be wrong, etc. While we can always repent of our actions, we are not free from the consequences of those actions.

While driving without a license may not seem like a sin, it is against the law. When I first moved here, I didn’t have a license and even though I paid my fine, I had to wait two more years to get my license. Because I made a conscious choice to drive without a license, I still had to face the consequences of that decision, but like repentance, I was not punished forever, I am legally allowed to drive again.  

When we give in to temptation, when we consciously sin, it doesn’t just affect our life, it affects those around us. I made a choice to drink and then get in a car with a drunk driver. That night could have devastated families if we got into a car accident. When someone steps out on their spouse, giving into temptation, they can chart a course for their spouse’s life, their children’s lives, their children’s children, down through generations, resulting in generational curses. The Bible talks heavily on resisting temptation because of how detrimental sinning can be to not just us but to those close to us.   

So, while saying that giving in to temptation is a slippery slope and the start of sinning, sometimes we have thoughts that pop in our head and we are like "I cannot believe I just thought that. We feel angry and shameful, and frustrated with ourselves. I remember talking to Carol about some thoughts that I had that I felt bad about and she said something to me that I will always carry with me - the thought is not yours. That is the enemy. He knows your weakness and he plants a seed. It’s the entertainment of that thought that starts the entering into sin. It’s when the thought leads to another thought that leads to an action that it becomes a sin. It's not a sin to have an "impure" thought/dream but sin begins when we begin to entertain the thought. The bible tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that our thoughts and God's thoughts are different and His are higher, and those are the thoughts we should be entertaining.

David was a man after God’s own heart, but he was also a sinner. David thought “maybe I don’t have to be at that battle” which is why he was present and saw Bathsheba bathing. He was not where God had wanted him. He then peeked at something he shouldn’t. He could have stopped there but he didn’t. Then he commits adultery with her, has her husband killed, etc. One entertainment of a thought that doesn’t seem like a sin - peeking at a woman - but it completely changed the course of David’s life. 

Now of course, the good news is that David repented and repented and repented. Psalm 51. He was NOT free from the consequences of his sin, nor are we, but we can always repent and as we have heard many times, if we are truly sorry and we begin to walk out our salvation, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness - 1 John 1:9. When we repent, our sin goes into the sea of forgetfulness.

    Two passages that speak on temptation and resisting temptation: James 1:12 - "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." James also teaches Christians that the end results of resisting temptation will produce in us joy and perfecting patience. James 1:2-4 - "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." 

While resisting temptation, of course is the best thing that we can do, God will also use our disobedience and our sinning. He takes what the enemy meant for evil and He turns it to good. Before I moved up here, I was caught in a web of sin - I drank, I did drugs, I had no financial accountability so bills didn’t get paid, I lost my job, I didn’t make good decisions, I drove without a license and lost my car, etc. I was a sinner. It was that sin that led me to Coudersport and when I had a revelation who God was and how good He was, my life changed. From there, God will use me to help someone else walk out of the same situation.  Hebrews 2:18

Temptation is a natural part of our Christian walk; it’s up to us to call on Jesus to resist the temptation, catch ourselves early if we start to fall, call out to our brothers and sisters, and regardless of how far we fall, to repent. As Pastor Caleb McCall said this weekend, if you have a temptation and you fall once, repent, and fall again, you may have to change your resistance tactics, take precaution, and have an accountability partner. One thing in any recovery program that is encouraged is having an accountability partner. 

To start wrapping this up, the devil is the father of fallacy and fallacy is the beginning of sin. If you question something, have a gut instinct, a check in your spirit, or no peace when you have a thought, make a decision, or engage in a certain behavior, listen to that - that is the Holy Spirit working in you. Listen to that voice or else you will find yourself falling into the fallacies of Satan.  

Most of you have probably seen this book but I remember I was a new Christian when brother Phil gave it to me. He was giving me a word and then he said you have been saved now it’s time to be sanctified. I took the book and put it in my purse and went about my week. I distinctly remember sitting at my workplace not too long after I had gotten the copy and I was facing a situation; my coworkers lived in New York and weed was legal there. They asked if I wanted to hang out and join them. I was pretending to be preoccupied digging through my purse when I pulled this book out. I opened it up and looked at the index, started reading the scripture, and it honestly changed my response and thought process. I declined their invite and the next time I found myself in a troubling situation or a bad mindset at that job, I would pick this book up again, read it, and find peace and comfort. Even without having a bible with me, this book provided the scripture that closed the gap between my heart and my mind. Store up the word in your mind; even Jesus was tempted and when He was, he always  responded with the word of God. “It is written…”

I have to tell you, I didn’t really love the idea at first of giving this message. I had two different ones and I wanted to go with the feel-good, hope inspired, canned message. I prayed as I was writing this. I counseled with my mentors. I told God that I felt it was too condemning and I didn’t want to make people feel guilty and He gave me such a revelation. Guilt is the catalyst for repentance. Guilt is not a bad thing. When I feel guilty about something it’s because I am sorry and if I am genuinely sorry and repent, and I change my ways, then I am forgiven. Lastly, remember to be on guard, watch what you are doing, and be mindful. Most of the time when we fall it’s because we are not paying attention. 

My final thoughts, the verse that I believes sums up the whole message is 1 Peter 5:8  - I am going to read two versions because I love the power behind both translations -

 NIV 

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. - this is the translation I am most familiar with

MSG

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

I printed up a page that was not in “Armed and Dangerous” which is a page of scriptures directly related to facing temptations.

TEMPTATION

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Hebrew 2:18

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

James 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Matthew 6:13

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

James 1:13

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

​

Psalm 119:11

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

1 Peter 5:8-9 MSG

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

Proverbs 4:14-15 (NLT): Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evildoers. Don't even think about it; don't go that way. Turn away and keep moving.”