Insidiousness of Sin

Things which are "insidious" cause harm in a subliminal process. It's gradual and before one knows it, the trap has sprung. Most thieves don't initiate their career by robbing banks. It's a process!

James 1:13 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

First off, temptation is never of God! Who then tempts? It's the subliminal being Satan.  He convinces one to sin through deceit. His petitioning people to sin is temptation, and his toolbox only has need of one tool: lust!

I believe that all sin, as inferred at the time of the eating of "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil", has three categories: pleasure, power and wealth. These three sins are prefaced by lust! Without that strong desire within one's heart, temptation would not be there. People think on "lust" as sexual, but it pertains to all three category of sin. The knowledge that we have choices is "reason", and with the partaking of the fruit, we, as does God, have reason. The curse of mankind is "reason" and cognitive processes are involved in lust.

People "reason" that sin will be pleasurable and desire it. They reason that money will make them happy and they desire it. They reason that power will make them happy and they desire power. It's not a pleasant thing, endeavoring to be as God, because God is supreme to Satan, and we're mere pawns which Satan uses for insidious nefarious purposes. Knowing that he is doomed, Satan is content to undermine God and control growth in the population of the kingdom of God!

The process is laid out for "creeping sin", sin growing through insidiousness:

• You exist.
• Satan tempts.
• Man lusts.
• Satan makes his case through deception.
• Lust wins out over God's will by reason (rationalizing).
• You sin.
• Sin begets sin.
• A life of sin leads to death.
• Satan's goals are met and you were the collateral damage!

That's the process of sin. In his interview with Dr. James Dobson, Ted Bundy said that his perversion began with benign (sic) girlie magazines and was consummated by serial thrill killing. What Satan did in his life was the insidious indoctrination of Mr. Bundy using the lusts of sin. 

Drug users are enticed by the same contrivances of the devil. "Marijuana is okay", Satan tells you, then before one is aware, hard drugs are the master or drive is stolen from the user. Sin is a process and it's method is insidiousness! Here's additional knowledge from God through Paul:

Romans 7:11 (AMP) | "For sin, seizing the opportunity and getting a hold on me [by taking its incentive] from the commandment, beguiled and entrapped and cheated me, and using it [as a weapon], killed me."

The "opportunity" is the temptation. If we flee from temptation, sin will be left behind! "Getting a hold on me" is the growth of sin in the life of a sinner. It's the acclimation process where the sinner does Satan's will without being aware that sin is taking over their life. Yes, man becomes a slave to sin and their servitude isn't realized until sin is an addiction!

Satan is insidious in how he entraps. Men are beguiled, entrapped and cheated! Satan is much as the symbolic cop behind the billboard. He knows that sometime you will be tempted to "speed" and all he has to do is be there, hiding of course, such that you feel safe from detection. At the moment your mind is on other things, you speed, and out he comes; then you're trapped!

Sometimes you don't get caught! You speed on without a second thought. Your new "safe" speed grows from 65 to 90! No authority will get you. Then when you're cruise along at about 100 mph, here comes that blue (or red) light! You're caught and your guilty!  Satan, as the clever cop, leaves you alone in your sin until the penalty is worth it for him. At 100 mph the habitual speeder belongs to Satan! Only through relearning will the speeder change, and for the sinner, that is sorrow and repentance!

Is sin growing in your life and you are calloused from dealing unsuccessfully with guilt? You may be reprobate. Your heart may be hardened to the extent that sin "killed you". Bundy went from sins of sexual lust to serial killing. He may have died reprobate (damned) because men can't change their own heart. It must be done by God on his time. When he's ready, our hearts may not be willing! That's what Satan counts on and that's his insidious method of operation!