The Tug That Trips Us
Mercy sakes alive, friend, step right up into this moment like you are wanderin through a hill country clearin’ and stumble upon an ol’ front porch that looks like it’s been waitin’ all week just to see your friendly face. I’m mighty tickled you came showin’ up here. Pull yourself into this quiet space right over here and breathe in real deep, the way a thoughtful ol’ badger pauses beside a mossy stump even when a jittery little field mouse zigzags around its paws like it thinks it has right to go any place in the whole pasture. In James 1:13-15, we’re reminded that temptation don’t come from God. It comes from the desires inside us that tug, pull, and drag us off course. To deepen that truth, Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Them two verses stand together like a pair of watchful ol’ owls perched on opposite branches of the same oak tree, keepin’ an eye on the trail that leads a wanderin’ soul away from temptation and back toward freedom.
Friend, temptation ain’t no stranger. Every one of us has felt its sting. We often imagine temptation lurkin’ out there somewhere, like a sneaky lil’ ol’ fox crouched behind a fence post waitin’ to pounce. And, yes, Scripture tells us we have an enemy that seeks to devour. But James makes it real plain. The real trouble starts inside us. Temptation comes from our own desires that git to enticin’ us and draggin’ us away.
We can blame the magazine publisher or the movie producer, but it’s our own longin’s, our own misbeliefs, our own inner chatterin’ that keeps us wanderin’ back to the same ol’ traps. Whether it’s pornography, drugs, gossip, anger, or anything else that promises relief but delivers bondage, the root is inside us. That there’s why Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God is mighty faithful. He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. And when temptation comes, He will provide a way out so we can stand up under it.
What God’s grace doesn’t prevent, because of our humanness, His grace sho’-nuff’ forgives. The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:8-9 that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And Psalm 119:11 reminds us that hiding God’s Word in our hearts strengthens us against temptation’s pull.
Friend, today is a real good day to be lettin’ Jesus untie the ropes that bind you. Like Peter in that prison cell, stand up, and walk out. You are sho’-nuff’ free. You’ve been liberated. Hear the voice of Jesus whisper, “Arise and sin no more.”
Father, thank you for being the liberator of my soul. I bring You my shackles. Take them. I bring You the key to my heart. Unlock it. Heal me from the inside. Defeat my misguided thoughts and silence the enemy of my soul. By Your power and in Your grace, free me and forgive me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Well, mercy me, friend, that downright wraps up this lil’ porch visit, and the rest of your day is standin’ there sho’-nuff waitin’ for you like a bright forest trail callin’ a gentle ol’ bull elk out from the shadows. Step forward with the kind of quiet strength that a lil’ cottontail rabbit shows when it slips out from under a cedar tree and heads toward open ground knowin’ exactly where it’s goin’. Carry the truth of God’s freedom the way a seasoned ol’ tortoise carries its shell, steady and sure no matter what rustles in the brush. And move forward with a heart that fully understands temptation might git to hollerin’ from the shadows, but it never gets to run the show because the One who broke your chains walks right alongside you.
With joy,
Gwen
