Devotional—The Struggle of Sanctification—Sonya Johnson
Interestingly, 90% of cultures kiss to show affection to each other. The type of kiss we will focus on is not one of romantic kissing but a sign of love and commitment to a person that you have bonded with—family and friends.
Judas’ kiss of betrayal of Christ is well-known by most Christians. Have you ever wondered why Judas chose a kiss to perform his heinous deed? Kissing would not arouse suspicious thoughts from the other disciples.
The disciples were aware that one of them would betray Jesus. But Simon Peter asked Jesus, “…Lord, who is it?” (John 13:25) Which one of the disciples would suspect a kiss of reverent affection to be used to betray and initiate the process for Christ’s death? “But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’” (Luke 22:48). It was then that Peter used his sword (John 18:10).
Still, God gives us another definition of kissing, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him (1 Kings 19:28). King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had killed all of the prophets except Elijah. And the prophet feared for his life because of Jezebel’s threat. Elijah was always faithful to God, yet, he felt alone and fearful–running for his life. But our loving God reassures Elijah that he has 7,000 faithful people who are not worshipping idols. He did not have to fear because God’s hand of protection was on His life.
Kissing Idols–God defines the results of sin when He says “and every mouth that has not kissed him [Baal].” Sin affects us on a spiritual level. Sin causes us to become intimate with evil. We kiss sin with our mouths. Yes, there is a progression of our love affair with sin that leads to bondage. We experience a complete change of heart. Becoming desensitized, we begin to enjoy the pleasures that our affair offers. Our feelings escalate and we are all in—giving ourselves over to the iniquity. We are enslaved and no longer feel remorse. Without a repentant heart, our feelings become our behaviors–revealing the change in our characters.
Either we will kiss Jesus indicating our love and affection through obedience or kiss the idols which come in various forms of pleasure—money, success, drugs, alcohol, gambling, unequal relationships, sexual immorality, etc.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NLT)
Prayer: God, we are entangled in love affairs with sin. We pray for forgiveness and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions 