Genesis 4:3-7: When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

It was simply because Cain chose to reject God’s way and decided to give his own type of offering to the Lord that a horrible situation was set into motion. You’ll notice that Abel, the brother of Cain, had given God an acceptable offering. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted, so we know he offered it in faith and according to God’s guidelines.

Today, we need to look at the outcome of someone who might choose as Cain did—to reject walking by faith and, instead, choose to live according to their own carnal (fleshly) desires. In Genesis 3, God killed an animal and used its skin to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. The Lord’s choice to use an animal sacrifice revealed to Adam and his sons that this was the acceptable offering for the atonement (covering for their sin debt). Cain was a gardener, so he disregarded this ordinance and chose, instead, to offer God something that he had grown.

Shortly after Cain’s offering is rejected by the Lord, he begins to develop a wrong attitude toward God and life. God attempted to correct Cain, but he wouldn’t hear of it. God concluded His talk with Cain with a warning about sin crouching at his door. He told Cain that he should rule over sin, but if he continued to disobey God’s rules, sin would rule over his heart.

Cain used the rejection that he felt from God as a justification for his inappropriate attitude, because he refused to repent of unbelief. Therefore, his anger quickly escalated to wrong actions. In anger, he rose up against his brother and killed him in a field. All of this stemmed from an evil heart of unbelief in the heart of Cain who chose to live life according to his own rules.

Likewise, what you and I believe will develop our attitude. Unbelief will cause a wrong attitude, and faith will create a right attitude. It will be from our attitudes that our actions are created and directed. Wrong belief or unbelief cause wrong attitudes and wrong attitudes will lead us to carry out wrong actions. Wrong actions lead us to hard consequences. If the hard consequences don’t produce in us a repentant heart, then the next step will lead to death, which is separation from life or things that are the result of the blessings of God’s life.

In one day, Cain lost his freedom, Abel lost his life, and Adam and Eve lost their sons—all over an offering that went wrong. How could something good like receiving an offering go so wrong? SIN.

None of us know what is really hidden in our hearts until our attitudes begin to reveal it. Watch your attitude. It will tell you whether or not sin is hiding out in your heart. ATTITUDE is “literally” a word to live by today! Thank you Lord, for Godly wisdom that saves us from destructive ways!  —submitted by Asa Dockery, US