THE CHOICE IS YOURS
Praise God for your right choices, but know this: God Almighty knows if you are in a particular situation, you will fail. So, you need to pray all the time, “Lord Jesus, lead me not into temptation.” Does that mean God tempts us? No! God does not tempt us – ever. Check this out:
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
What it means is, “Keep me out of dangerous scenarios where you know I will fail.” Don’t we do that for our kids? A wise dad sets his kids up for success. A foolish dad sets his kids up for failure and, I promise you, we serve a wise Dad.
A good prayer is, “Lord, lead me. I’m willing to follow You. And see to it, Lord, that I don’t spin off into places where You know I’m going to bring great failure and shame into my life.”
God will not put us in places of temptation, but sometimes we put ourselves in situations we shouldn’t be in. If someone knows they have an issue with alcohol, maybe the local bar is not the best place to catch the game. So, when Joe calls and says the game is on at his house, make the choice to go there instead.
Celebrate that choice and enjoy some Texas sweet tea. We have a gift called free will. It isn’t always easy to choose wisely, almost never in fact. That is why we need to partner with the Holy Spirit and ask for His help. He is faithful.
FROM MY SERMON SERIES EXODUS
TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT
I Am a faithful God. I expect you to grow in our relationship and to learn self control. I will always be with you, but I will leave some choices up to you. Ask Me and I will lead you. Fall and I will pick you up and dust you off.