To be freed we must put aside all things that will cause us to sin. ” the devil made me do it” ever hear anyone make that claim before? Maybe you have said it yourself. Let me make it clear when it comes to temptations the devil isn’t by your side promoting you to sin. He doesn’t have to be. He has already set things in motion in this world such that we have become our own worst enemy.
“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.””
Mark 14:38 NLT
“Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.”
Proverbs 7:2 NLT
The devil is a finite being, he is not like God who is everywhere and anywhere. The devil can on be in one place at one time. So to use Satan as an excuse is not always correct, yes he has his minions who do his bidding, but Satan himself may be nowhere near you or even care who you are. The issues of the temptation of sin come from three areas, ourselves, our peers and the devil’s minions. Today we are looking at the traps we set for ourselves, consciously or subconsciously.
We leave stumbling blocks in our own lives, sublimely hoping that one day we will fall into them. We shouldn’t be doing this but sometimes we do. Don’t believe me, well let’s take a look
1. Have you locked your computer from access from porn or do you feel, well I don’t access it I won’t ever go there?
2. Do you have bottles of alcohol in your home? Hey it’s only there for guests and social occasions.
3. Quit smoking yet keep that one package to remind you that you quit?
4. Love your spouse, but keep in contact with former ” friends” who have loved you in the past on social media, and if this doesn’t work out maybe the spark will reunite?
5. Do jobs on the side getting paid cash but not feeling the need to report it at tax time?
I could list many more, but what I am saying is we need to guard our lives against temptation. Put away the things that can cause us to sin.
Trust that God can provide you with the strength to push past these temptations and help by removing them from your life. If you make it easy to sin, then, of course, it will happen. No more excuses. We need to set a hard fast line on sin and push ourselves to keep it. We have to stop setting ourselves up to fail. If we want to experience the relationship of freedom the God has for us we must come to the realization that we have stumbling blocks in our path and work diligently to remove them. We may not see them all but once we work at clearing them away others may become visible. You can do this, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Father, if I have put up stumbling blocks in my life that make it easy for me to sin I pray you will reveal them and help me to tear them down and remove them from my life. I want to live daily avoiding sin. Help me not to be a stumbling block for others, I want to share your love with them. They matter to me and they matter to you. Work with me to reach the lost. I want to be more effective. Let my relationship with you flourish as I walk with you avoiding temptation. Guide my path. Amen.
50 Days of Pray 