My favorite TV show is "The Simpsons". Simpsons fans know Homer, the father of the family very well. He has low intelligence and a big appetite for sweets and fatty foods. There's one episode where he sells his soul to the devil for a donut. It's one of the funniest ones I've seen.

In the Bible there's a similar story with a more tragic bent. In Genesis 25:27-34, Esau sells his birthright to his brother for a bowl of stew. This prevented him from carrying on the lineage of God's chosen people from his father Isaac, and brought a separation between him and God (Malachi 1:2-3, Romans 9:13).

Sin is charming in its own way. Like a donut or a bowl of stew it appeals to our appetities and the lusts of the flesh. Its benefits are usually short-term, and its consequences can be severe and sometimes enduring.

If we've given into temptation like this, God calls us to remedy it in the following ways:

1. Acknowledge our sin. Don't deny it (I John 1:8).
2. Repent and seek God's healing (I John 1:9).
3. Try to reconcile with anyone you've sinned against (Matthew 5:22-26).
4. Accept God's grace and don't commit the sin again (John 8:1-11).

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