p‘God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change’ (Romans 2:4 MSG). When Jesus told Peter he would soon deny his Lord, Peter boasted, ‘Others may, but I’ll never.’ But within a few hours he was swearing and disavowing any knowledge of Jesus. The Bible says, ‘Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own [particular] desires and enticed’ (James 1:14 NKJV). We all have areas of vulnerability which, if not disciplined by character and commitment, have the potential to defeat or even destroy us. What can you do? 1) Recognise it. Before you yield to temptation you usually go through certain stages. When you don’t cultivate prayer and Bible reading you get indifferent to God, insensitive to danger, and find yourself drawn like a moth to a flame. Then you begin to rationalise your disobedience and think, ‘Eh. Nobody knows. Where’s the harm.’ And you silence the voice of conscience. Then you surround yourself with people who do the same things, or are at least willing to look the other way. Jesus said, ‘Pray… that you may not enter into temptation’ (Mark 14:38 AMP). That’s before the event. Pray before temptation comes. 2) Reach for help. When Jehoshaphat came up against an enemy too big to handle alone, he prayed, ‘We have no power against this great multitude…nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.’ Jehoshaphat knew he was no match for the enemy, and he knew where to turn for help. /p
pWhat Now?br /
Start the day by praying that you won’t be drawn into temptation. Ask God to help you focus only on Him./p