Theme: OVERCOMING TEMPTATIONS
Text: “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” – Proverbs 16:6.
Comment: The first step in overcoming temptation is to keep in perspective who the Almighty God is. He is our Creator and the Judge of all we do and say. (2 Corinthians 5:10). We fondly think of God as a loving, forgiving Father, and He is, but how much do we ponder the fact that God hates sin and has indignation towards it every day. (Psalm 7:11), and that He is a God who will discipline us to make us holy?
As Christians, we ought to avoid sin, knowing that we will not get away with sin, for He will discipline us (Hebrews 12:5-11). But because God is patient, and so many around us are “doing it,” we think we can go along with the crowd. We should not deceive ourselves into thinking that just because God does not punish or correct us immediately that He doesn’t mind or that He doesn’t really think it’s all that bad or the classic self-placating excuse, “God understands…” But we are only deceiving ourselves.
We need to renew our thinking as we are told in Romans 12:1,2. We must no longer think as the world thinks, or walk in the same way that the world walks. Proverbs 4:14,15 tells us, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”