WILLPOWER OR WILTPOWER?

Little Debbie looked at her mom with sadness in her eyes. “Please, Mom, may I have one more cookie?”

“Sweetheart,” replied her mom, “you’ve already had three.”

“I know, Mom,” she whined, “but they are so good. Just one more? Please?”

“All right,” agreed her mom, “one more and that’s all!”

“Thanks, Mom!” exclaimed Little Debbie. “You sure don’t have much willpower. You gave in without even thinking.”

Giving in to temptation is easy if we do not call on the Lord when we face the slippery slope of life. The easy way out, however, is rarely the best way out. When we give in without counting the cost we are usually giving up something of value.

Paul reminds us that we all face the same type of temptations. In fact, he says, that “they are no different from what others experience.” Why is it, then, that some Christians have better “survival rates” than others?

It’s because of our focus. If we depend on ourselves for the strength to overcome the “evil one” we will surely lose the battle. But if we look to and call upon the Lord, the battle becomes His and victory is assured.

Prayer:  Lord, before we are tempted and tried may we fill our minds with Your Word, open our hearts to Your Spirit and depend completely on You for our survival. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Willpower Or Wiltpower

Little Debbie looked at her mom with sadness in her eyes. “Please, Mom, may I have one more cookie?” 

“Sweetheart,” replied her mom, “you’ve already had ‘one more’ three times.” 

“I know, Mom,” she whined, “but they are so good. Just one more? Please?” 

“All right,” agreed her mom, “one more and that’s all!” 

“Thanks, Mom!” exclaimed Little Debbie. “You sure don’t have much willpower. You gave in without even thinking.” 

Giving in to temptation is easy if we do not call on the Lord when we face the slippery slopes of life. The easy way out, however, is rarely the best way out. When we give in without counting the cost involved in taking the “easy way” we are usually giving up something of value. 

Paul reminds us that we all face the same type of temptations. In fact, he says, “they – your temptations - are no different from what others experience.” Why is it, then, that some Christians have better “survival rates” than others? 

It’s because of two word: focus and depend. If we focus and depend on ourselves for the strength to overcome the “evil one,” we will surely lose the battle. But if we look to and call upon the Lord, the battle becomes His and victory is assured. Stay focused and depend on Him!  

Prayer:  Lord, when we are tempted, may we focus our minds on Your Word, open our hearts to Your Spirit, and depend completely on Your strength for our survival. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Scripture For Today: 1 Corinthians 10:13  The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 

Willpower Or Wiltpower

Little Debbie looked at her mom with sadness in her eyes. “Please, Mom, may I have one more cookie?” 

“Sweetheart,” replied her mom, “you’ve already had ‘one more’ three times.” 

“I know, Mom,” she whined, “but they are so good. Just one more? Please?” 

“All right,” agreed her mom, “one more and that’s all!” 

“Thanks, Mom!” exclaimed Little Debbie. “You sure don’t have much willpower. You gave in without even thinking.” 

Giving in to temptation is easy if we do not call on the Lord when we face the slippery slopes of life. The easy way out, however, is rarely the best way out. When we give in without counting the cost involved in taking the “easy way” we are usually giving up something of value. 

Paul reminds us that we all face the same type of temptations. In fact, he says, “they – your temptations - are no different from what others experience.” Why is it, then, that some Christians have better “survival rates” than others? 

It’s because of two word: focus and depend. If we focus and depend on ourselves for the strength to overcome the “evil one,” we will surely lose the battle. But if we look to and call upon the Lord, the battle becomes His and victory is assured. Stay focused and depend on Him!  

Prayer:  Lord, when we are tempted, may we focus our minds on Your Word, open our hearts to Your Spirit, and depend completely on Your strength for our survival. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Scripture For Today: 1 Corinthians 10:13  The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 

Willpower Or Wiltpower?

Little Debbie looked at her mom with sadness in her eyes. “Please, Mom, may I have one more cookie?”

“Sweetheart,” replied her mom, “you’ve already had three.”

“I know, Mom,” she whined, “but they are so good. Just one more? Please?”

“All right,” agreed her mom, “one more and that’s all!”

“Thanks, Mom!” exclaimed Little Debbie. “You sure don’t have much willpower. You gave in without even thinking.”

Giving in to temptation is easy if we do not call on the Lord when we face the slippery slopes of life. The easy way out, however, is rarely the best way out. When we give in without counting the cost we are usually giving up something of value.

Paul reminds us that we all face the same type of temptations. In fact, he says, that “they are no different from what others experience.” Why is it, then, that some Christians have better “survival rates” than others?

It’s because of their focus. If we depend on ourselves for the strength to overcome the “evil one” we will surely lose the battle. But if we look to and call upon the Lord, the battle becomes His and victory is assured.

Prayer: Lord, before we are tempted and tried may we fill our minds with Your Word, open our hearts to Your Spirit and depend completely on You for our survival. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today:  1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

"My Father Knows!"

A customer was watching young James help his father move boxes of shoes from one location to another. The father would place boxes of shoes in his arms and then he would move them to another location. Seeing the pile grow higher and higher in the boy’s arms, he politely asked, “Son, I don’t see how you can carry any more. Isn’t that too much for you?”

Cheerfully he responded, “Sir, my father knows how much I can carry.”

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, wanted to give them a burst of encouragement as they faced the temptations in a sinful culture. So, he said, “God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it.” In other words, “He knows how much you can carry.”

No one is immune from the temptations of life. Even if we feel that we are being singled out by God for a special examination, we must realize that others have faced similar temptations and have successfully resisted them. We have God’s Word that He will always give us the strength to face the temptations and avoid sinning – if we choose to.
The issue is not about being able to face and flee temptation; the issue is whether or not we want to.

Prayer: Help us, Lord, to realize that Your Son faced every temptation that we will face, yet remained sinless. May we, as He did, call on You for help. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Know Your Enemy

President Theodore Roosevelt had a very feisty little dog that could not resist fighting with other dogs. Sadly, he lost every fight.

After one such loss a friend said to him, “Mr. President, your dog isn't much of a fighter.”

“On the contrary,” he replied, “he's a good fighter. Unfortunately, he underestimates his adversaries!”

“Know thyself. Know thy enemy” was the advice of a Greek philosopher. We often think that we know our strengths and limitations and how to meet the challenges of life. But, for whatever reason, we know neither one of them well enough to keep us from falling into temptation and then into sin.

Paul said that “God is faithful and…He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you the way out so that you can endure.” Note that Paul said God “will show us the way out.”
The important fact here is that God's faithfulness must be coupled with our willingness to accept a way out. God always provides a moment between the temptation and the choice to sin. But we must seize the moment of decision.

Prayer: We pray, Father, that we might become more alert to the temptations we face and know that with Your strength we need not fail You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.