Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

From time to time, it is important that we evaluate ourselves. Especially on the most important things in our lives. How am I doing as a parent? What am I doing well? What can I do better? How is my relationship with God? Am I fully committed to His purpose and His will in my life? Do I pray consistently, and do I read His Word every day to grow closer to understanding Him and His will?  This life can get so busy, and we just start to float by. We can unintentionally, slowly begin to fade from what we are called to do.  Do not let that happen to you! If you are struggling in faith and obedience, take a step back and read His word and pray. He has left us with some scripture that reassures us of his faithfulness and shows us examples to follow.

We will all run into temptation. The evil one will constantly try to bring us down. Many falter and fall to temptation time and time again. We create excuses for our behavior and rationalize that it is ok. Read 1 Corinthians 10:12-13. Paul tells us we will fail on our own, but God can handle anything that Lucifer throws our way. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

There is so much to take from these verses, but Paul starts with a strong caution. Be careful that you do not fall! Be careful. He understood that our walk with Christ would not be easy. We must stand guard every day and not fall. And as Christians, I believe we must be very conscientious of the second sentence. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.” In other words, you will never experience anything unique. The temptations that fall on us have come at many before us. The evil one will try to isolate us and make us believe it is just us and we must experience this alone. But that is far from the truth. We can fight the temptation with others who believe as we do, and Paul explains that God will not let us be tempted with more than we can handle.  But we must lean on our Creator for guidance and turn from the temptation through Him.

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 says, “Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”  Do not run aimlessly in your life.  God has given us this gift.  Do not waste it being average and not fulfilling His purpose in your life! Flee from temptation and show others the Glory He has set aside for us for eternity.

Pray that God will give you the strength today to turn from temptation and use your time not just wondering aimlessly but living intentionally in your decisions and actions for His glory.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.