In Part I, we uncovered a sobering truth: “once in a while” is never insignificant. Compromise doesn’t arrive with alarms or warnings; it slips in quietly, reshaping convictions one small concession at a time.
Now it’s time to address some of the “once in a while” habits many believers brush off as trivial, because these small cracks, these tiny permissions, eventually solidify into patterns. And those patterns, if ignored, begin to draw our hearts away from the light of God’s Word.
For those who believe it’s acceptable to entertain ungodly thoughts “every once in a while,” remember this: frequency does not determine danger. A thought doesn’t need to appear often to be destructive. Even occasional compromises are crafted to pull you toward spiritual captivity.
Pastor Dolapo Lawal, in his message on lust, referenced John 10:4–5, where Jesus says His sheep know His voice and will not follow the voice of a stranger. The points he emphasized are vital —this passage doesn’t imply that believers will never hear the stranger’s voice. It means they refuse to follow it. Just as God speaks to us, the devil also speaks to the minds of people. Not every thought that enters your mind is from you or from God. The enemy can plant thoughts, but he does not have the power to make you act on them. In the same way, the Holy Spirit guides us into truth but does guard us.
Scripture says, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).
It is your responsibility to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you must approve or reject thoughts before they become actions. You can’t stop the thoughts from coming, but you can stop them from staying.
For those of you who believe it’s okay to go to ungodly places “once in a while,” remember that these places are often powered by demons whose purpose is to expose you to danger. Exodus 33:14 God declares to Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” This means that there are places where His presence does not go—and where He is absent, there is no peace, no protection, and no rest. That is why Psalm 1 commands us to not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the company of mockers. And for anyone feeling tempted to give in, listen to the wisdom of Scripture: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent” (Proverbs 1:10). When we choose to ignore warnings like this, we’re stepping outside the covering of God’s will—and that’s never a place of safety.
For anyone who believes it’s harmless to dabble in or be around divination “once in a while,” pause and consider the warning in Deuteronomy 18:14. This isn’t a light matter—God draws a clear line for a reason.
“For these nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners and fortune-tellers, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so.”
The danger is subtle but deadly. Little by little, it begins to drown out the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life. When you give even occasional attention to a spirit that is not from God, this isn’t just temptation—it’s spiritual displacement. Your heart grows vulnerable, your mind becomes unsettled, and your life becomes increasingly open to deception.
When you begin to negotiate with God’s mercy, you are placing limits on His expression in your life. You are telling Him, in effect, “I’ll accept Your grace, but I’ll keep my way too.” That is the heart of compromise. And Revelation 3:16 stands as a solemn warning to those who live between devotion and indifference: “Because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I will spit you out of My mouth.”
For those who say, “I will always ask for mercy,” remember when we ask God for mercy, it is not a tool to ease guilt while planning to return to the same behavior. The sacrifice on the cross does not free us to sin—it frees us from sin. True mercy is sought because we are genuinely convicted by our actions and, by His grace, have no intention of repeating them. It is an acknowledgment of His holiness and a deliberate choice to walk in obedience—not a loophole for continued rebellion.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 commands, “Flee from the appearance of evil”. Pastor Dolapo Lawal once said, “If the Bible says run, don’t bother fighting—you will lose.” Sin is not an experiment to see how far you can go without falling.
Sin is what the enemy uses to steal, kill, and destroy. Pastor Mildred always says, “The devil you are joking with is not joking with you.” When you flirt with compromise, you become food for the enemy, even as a child of God.
Psalm 82:6–7 declares: “You are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High. Nevertheless, you shall die like men and fall like one of the princes.” Why? Because every time you say, “just once,” you break the hedge God has built around you. You venture into the enemy’s camp, and the truth is: the enemy is not omnipresent—he cannot be everywhere at once. But the danger of “once in a while” is that it is often you who go seeking him out. And each time you do, you break the hedge and give the serpent permission to strike you.
The danger of “once in a while” is this: God may know your heart, but He does not own it. That laid‑back attitude keeps you stuck in a dangerous middle ground—one foot with God and one foot in the world. It’s like someone who is married but “once in a while” cheats on their spouse. We are the Bride of Christ, and yet this is exactly how we treat Him day after day.
In a world overflowing with darkness, neutrality is not an option. You must choose. Are you standing with God—or are you choosing your own pleasure?
