Why You Should NOT Ignore Little Sins

What is the world’s deadliest animals in the world? Most of you might think about the ferocious and scary beasts that can gruesomely kill you in an instant. However, in terms of the number of kills, you might be surprised who tops the list.

Sharks and wolves kill an average of 10 people a year. Elephants and lions kill 100 people a year. Hippopotamuses kill 500 people a year. Crocodiles kill 1000 people a year. Snakes kill about 50,000 people a year.

All these numbers pale in comparison with the deadliest creature in the world. According to World Health Organization, this creature is responsible for killing more than 1 million people every year. It is estimated that this creature kills one child every 30 seconds.

The deadly bite of this creature can cause a myriad of diseases. It can cause encephalitis, filariasis, yellow fever, West Nile Virus, Chikungunya, Zika fever, malaria, and dengue.

By now, you should already know which deadly creature I’m talking about.

That’s right, it’s the mosquito.

Now, at one look, you won’t see mosquito as scary, right? In fact, if you see a mosquito, you don’t run away but instead, you chase it down until you kill it.

Why You Should NOT Ignore Little Sins

A spiritual lesson from the small mosquito

However, this is something that we need to realize. In most cases, it is the smallest thing that can pose the greatest risk in our lives. In the same manner, it is the SMALL SINS in our Christian life that can lead us to spiritual death.

As we examine ourselves, the big sins are too easy to spot, right? We make sure we keep the Sabbath, don’t commit adultery, don’t kill anybody, don’t steal, don’t lie, and the list goes on and on. However, along with this list of sins, we know that we are breaking them softly. We are committing the little sins.

What are the mosquitoes in our lives brethren? We may easily spot the crocodiles, sharks, hippopotamuses, and snakes in our lives. But are we also recognizing the mosquitoes?

What so bad about little sins anyway?

Little sins are dangerous. Sometimes, they are more dangerous than the sins that we consider as serious. A perfect illustration of the danger of little sin is found in the story of King David. He has a particular weakness for beautiful women. It is his kryptonite.

Let’s go to II Samuel 11.

We read in verse 1, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.”

Often times, when we are in our strongest, it is the time when we are in our weakest spiritually. This is certainly true to David. At this time, David is enjoying a prestigious role in his kingdom. He is now the king of one of the mightiest and wealthiest kingdoms on earth. Things are going well with him and blessings are set to continue pouring in.

Related blog posts:

With David intoxicated with unbroken successes and physical accomplishments, a spiritual danger is looming just around the corner.

David thought of himself to be too important to be on the battlefield. Instead of going with his men, just like what he used to do, he decided to stay in Jerusalem, where his idle mind became the workshop of the devil.

David has been harboring this little sin in his life – the little sin of uncontrollable desire for women. David, a man who governed an entire nation can’t even govern his own lust and desires. Instead of dealing with this problem, David let this little sin stay in his heart. And we know what happened.

He saw Bathsheba bathing. Instead of looking away, he entertained the little sin of lust. It could have stopped there, but David asked for Bathsheba to be brought in his palace. He committed adultery with her, which led to an unwanted pregnancy. This forced David to cold-bloodedly orchestrate the death of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba.

Being serious in dealing with little sins

This is a quote about the danger of little sins.That’s the danger of sin, brethren. That’s the main reason that we must all be diligent in identifying these little sins that can easily hide and disguised itself as something acceptable.

So what are the little sins in your life? Maybe, you haven’t killed anyone, but you have hated your brother. That’s a little sin.

Maybe, you have not committed adultery, but you continue on lusting toward women.

Maybe, you don’t have an idol, but you let worldly things to be more important than God.

Maybe, you are keeping the Sabbath, but your mind is occupied by your business transaction.

Maybe, you are not lying, but still you are gossiping.

There are just so many areas in our lives that we must examine. While it might be tough, the important thing is that you are making progress. God looks at the heart and our willingness to obey Him. As long as we are overcoming, we are on the right track. The problem happens when we stop looking for these little sins in our lives, ignore them, and accept them as a normal part of our lives.

It is my sincerest hope brethren that we overcome the little sins in our lives. Let us look for those spiritual “mosquitoes” that can cause a lot of deadly diseases. Because in the final analysis, sin will always be a sin and sin can be so destructive no matter how big or small they are.

Sin comes with a penalty. Let us not deceive ourselves that we can escape the consequences of our sins. Time will come when “God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

So be alert to little sin. Identify it. Deal with it and stop it from getting big.


Here’s an interesting book that you should check out: The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected. This book has attained 4.9 out of 5 stars from more than 1,400 readers.

The Insanity of God A True Story of Faith ResurrectedBook Description:

The Insanity of God is the personal and lifelong journey of an ordinary couple from rural Kentucky who thought they were going on just your ordinary missionary pilgrimage, but discovered it would be anything but. After spending over six hard years doing relief work in Somalia, and experiencing life where it looked like God had turned away completely and He was clueless about the tragedies of life, the couple had a crisis of faith and left Africa asking God, “Does the gospel work anywhere when it is really a hard place? It sure didn’t work in Somalia.

Nik recalls that, “God had always been so real to me, to Ruth, and to our boys. But was He enough, for the utter weariness of soul I experienced at that time, in that place, under those circumstances?” It is a question that many have asked and one that, if answered, can lead us to a whole new world of faith.

How does faith survive, let alone flourish in a place like the Middle East? How can Good truly overcome such evil? How do you maintain hope when all is darkness around you? How can we say “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” when it may not be visibly true in that place at that time? How does anyone live an abundant, victorious Christian life in our world’s toughest places? Can Christianity even work outside of Western, dressed-up, ordered nations? If so, how?

The Insanity of God tells a story—a remarkable and unique story to be sure, yet at heart a very human story—of the Ripkens’ own spiritual and emotional odyssey. The gripping, narrative account of a personal pilgrimage into some of the toughest places on earth, combined with sobering and insightful stories of the remarkable people of faith Nik and Ruth encountered on their journeys, will serve as a powerful course of revelation, growth, and challenge for anyone who wants to know whether God truly is enough. (Get your copy here.)

FREE EBOOK promo footnote.png

2 thoughts on “Why You Should NOT Ignore Little Sins

  1. Pingback: 10 Astounding Biblical Truths that Will Change How You View the World | Becoming Christians

  2. Pingback: Why We Must Stop Murmuring and How to Overcome It | Becoming Christians

Leave a Reply