Enticement
February 5
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.
James 1:13-15
Having just returned home from a weekend where we have the privilege of watching our daughter in law training Arabian horses, I will have to say the Budweiser commercial with the trainer of the Clydesdales really hit home with me.
Folding napkins and getting plates out for our James Study luncheon the next day, I was in the kitchen as the halftime show kicked off. I think I have three new worry lines on my forehead from trying to get a grasp of what went down. My husband left the room and went to his office to do some computer work during half time. When he returned I told him I thought what I had seen was more like a burlesque show than what they had billed as "family entertainment".
Monday morning, Nancy Leigh DeMoss had an email devotional titled "Control Your Body". It was quite an appropriate follow up to not only the half time show, but some rather risqué commercials. I've included it below. I'd like to thank God for giving me a husband, who knows to flee from such visuals and the traps they can set. Let's join together and pray for those who don't have that discipline and train up our children/grandchildren to the dangers that just waiting to entice them to enter into sin.
Nancy Leigh posed the question: Do you know what kind of temptations are likely to lead you into sin?
One response:
"Everything can be going fine. I can be on my best behavior. And then something pops up on TV, or my wife and I watch a movie that just triggers these thoughts in my head. Before I know it, I'm off watching things behind her back that I know would really hurt her if she knew about them."
Nancy explains: "The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Thessalonica: "This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness."
"Do you know what kind of things entice you? Maybe it's a song you used to listen to or a billboard that jumps out at you. It may be a person that you just shouldn't spend much time with. Spend a few minutes thinking about what situations tempt you, and then ask God for grace to avoid those situations."
