With a holiday weekend at hand, today's devotional was spot on. Related to not only the temptations we face with food, drinking, and other fun stuff but also the temptation to get busy doing other "things" and let my armor down. For me, staying rooted in my morning exercise routine, devotions with God, AND not snoozing is the start of a great day. By the time I have done those things, I have already succeeded, and I have an armor around me that is hard for temptation to penetrate. But, when I don't do these things, my armor is lowered, allowing temptation to take control.
I was invited to do a short plan in the "You Version" Bible APP called "The Out of Balance Believer." The out-of-balance part spoke to me immediately, as I spent 30 years of my life being out of balance...work, work, work. The funny thing is it can really be anything - not just work that gets us out of balance. This quote from today's devotional hits it head on:
"I recently read an article that listed 25 things humans cannot resist. A few things on the list I resonated with are petting puppies, eating warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies from the oven, and popping bubble wrap. If tempted by these, I will cave – especially if the puppy is a droopy, long-eared basset hound. That article got me thinking about how often Satan uses temptation to knock us off balance.
A 2009 study of 8,000 people reported that four out of five said they felt tempted up to ten times a day. That seemed extreme until I tracked the temptation in my life. In 24 hours, I was tempted to hit the snooze button, forego my prayer time, skip the gym, cheat on my diet, ignore a phone call, nap at work, scroll social media while in a meeting, and give one tip when I enjoyed two services at the spa. It did not stop there. I wanted to be jealous of a friend who got what I desired, I considered buying something out of my price range, and I really wanted to engage in gossip with a co-worker. The report wasn’t too far off; temptation is everywhere." -- @YouVersion plan 'The Out of Balance Believer'
Stay balanced today as you enter the holiday weekend and begin a new month. Don't give in to the temptations. There is a way out...all you have to do is ask!
“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.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.10.13.NIV
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