“Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.” (Proverbs 20:17)
The aftermath of indulging sin is a miserable thing. Eating the “bread of sin” is initially sweet. “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” (Proverbs 9:17) But after the “sweet” taste is gone from the mouth, one feels awful. Should it really be any other way?
There is a certain, limited usefulness for the misery one experiences after forsaking the fear of God and indulging in the pleasures of sin which last for a season. God says, “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” (Jeremiah 2:19} But as lousy as we might feel, and as much as we only have ourselves to blame for our misery, we are in danger of drowning ourselves in all manner of self-hatred and despair if we don’t receive the mercies of the Lord that are new every morning.
We must take hold of the blood of Jesus Christ that reaches to the highest mountain and flows to the lowest valley. The blood of Christ gives us strength from day to day and will never lose its power. It alone is able to keep us from falling, and it alone is able to get us back on our feet if we do.
Get so sick and tired of sin in any form that you want more than the forgiveness that the blood graciously offers. Become desperate to know the power in the blood to uphold you and keep you from sinning. Through the new and better covenant, God is able to put you back on your feet to stay.