“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” — 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV
Over-indulgence for some or guilty pleasures for others and all sorts of sugary no-no’s can cause any one of us to fall off track with our clean or healthy eating habits, which may wreak havoc in our bodies. My family and I know I have a weakness for black licorice – which I find people either love it or hate it! Well, honestly, I would find a hiding place to keep it out of sight because I would end up snatching several of those yummy Twizzlers throughout the day! Now, once in a while, I’ll buy Anise extract and occasionally I’ll put a few drops in my latte when I crave that licorice flavor! No sugar nor calories added. No guilt or associated stomach ache!
In the same way, while being enticed or baited by the wrong things in this world, it can cause us to fall away into sin– to be derailed by certain enticements leading us on a slippery downward spiral or slippery path.
The enemy tries to tempt us with things we are not to consume, touch, or get involved with. His tactics haven’t changed whether its sinful habits, cycles of sin in our life, addictions, destructive thought patterns or behaviors – He studies our weaknesses and devises strategies to make us fall into sin, entices us so that in turn we feel guilty and condemned.
The same way we monitor and take care of our bodies, our temples of the Holy Spirit, we must tend to and protect our spiritual lives. We need to feed our spirits daily through prayer, focusing on our Lord, worshiping Him and praising Him.
Lord, thank you that you can help us out of any temptation or pit we have found ourselves in. You can always provide a way of escape. We thank you for your grace and mercy. Strengthen us this day as we face all sorts of enticements and temptations, in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.