I cheat on my diet, my exercise, and other elements of life. I, unfortunately, love chocolate and a double Snickers is a HUGE temptation. I also love food in general and need to fight the battle to make myself cook and eat healthy food. I cheat on my exercise and make excuses for myself when I do so. I lust after really nice muscle cars and trucks. They can turn my head in less than 3 seconds! Whatever the cost, we choose to cheat. Yes, I'm talking about all of us. People cheat on relationships, cheat at work, cheat on the road (yes, going through that gas station to avoid a stop light is cheating), cheat on their taxes, school projects, and many other things. People cheat. Some of us cheat on purpose. For some, cheating is situational. Most cheat hoping to never be caught. Sneaking that cigarette while you "walk" around the block, having that second $6.00 coffee when you promised you wouldn't have more than one, leaving work 15 minutes early because you believe that it will save you from the traffic mess. All of these are just examples. You know who you are, know where you cheat, and know how to rationalize and justify your cheating.
I once told a congregation that I could tell them who was planning on sinning (another word for cheating) that day. I told them that all I had to do was to go out into the parking lot and look for vehicles with radar detectors. Yep, if you have one then you intend on breaking the speed limit. What can we do about us cheating? For beginners we can call it what it is. It's sin. James 4:17 (he was the step brother to Jesus) says: "If you know what is right to do and don't do it, you sin." Conversely, if you know what is wrong to do and don't do it, you remain righteous. Paul puts the cap on the argument: "Those things I know I should do, I do not. And those things I know I should not do, I do. Wretched man that I am." That's me! Cheaters never win and winners never cheat. We've all heard that one. Yet, we go through our lives and if we aren't caught, we cheat. Some of us have rationalized that if we only entertain the thought we are okay. Nope. Jesus tells us that if we think it in our minds and meditate upon it in our hearts that it's the same thing as doing it. If we lust after a woman we have already committed adultery. That's what he said.
The issue isn't about cheating though. The issue is about the status of our heart. If our heart is right with God we have a huge chance of not cheating. If we add reading the Scripture on a regular and ongoing basis; that margin shoots up. If we cap our day with being in a continual state of prayer the increase is even greater. NO ONE, not one, can be perfect. Sorry but that includes you and I. It includes your children and parents. This encompasses the whole of humanity. NO ONE escapes the sin that so entangles us with the world. Somewhere, sometime even the most righteous will cheat. Doing everything we can (see previous paragraph) does help. What we are left with is accepting the grace Christ offers us for our cheating. So, the final item to put in your arsenal is asking for forgiveness and beginning anew...ever day and sometimes moment by moment. Cheating is our addiction. Seeing what we can get away with while at the same time knowing we cannot get away with anything before the loving eyes of our Savior. When we cheat we step away from God. When we repent we step back to God. Cheaters will cheat.
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