How to Avoid Temptation

I now realize that when God is speaking something into my life I will hear it in several places. That happened yesterday at church listening to a sermon from the Book of James. My pastor shared his own prayer life realizing how vital it is to pray not to be lead into temptation at the beginning of each new day.

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1: 13-15

I’m like the Christian our pastor described who comes before the Lord telling Him all the same things but usually doesn’t ask help with temptation. Yesterday afternoon I attended a prayer meeting in a friend’s home. The teacher made some wonderful Biblical points and one of them was “to fight the temptation to want more and more things” quoting from 1Timothy 6: 7-9:

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

There it was again…temptation. Obviously God is showing me how to avoid it every day! I close with these words of Jesus:

Jesus said: “This is how you should pray:

“Father, may your name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon.

Give us each day the food we need

and forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those who sin against us.

And don’t let us yield to temptation.”

Luke 11: 2-4

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