Daily Devotional: Closer to God Every Day

Day 65: Schemin' Up

1 Corinthians 10:13 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.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.

As human beings, we all understand the temptation to sin. In fact, each and every one of us has that one sin that constantly tugs at our strings of innocence. I like to call those our darling sins. That's right, our darling sins. These sins are things that we just can't seem to shake off. Sometimes we find a way to abstain from them for extended periods of time—almost to the point where we think we have overcome the sin—only to fall back into its horrible cycle. And although it is impossible for any human to get to the point where sin is no more, God is not troubled by that fact. More than anything, He wants to see our willingness and honest desire to discontinue our sins. And when we ask for forgiveness, He wants to know that we are coming to Him with a truly repenting heart.

So what is my new motivation to resist sin? My motivation comes from the three verses at the top. The first verse, found in 1 Corinthians 10:13, promises followers of Christ that we will never be tempted beyond what we can bear. Whether you're struggling with an alcohol, drug, porn, stress, depression, work, sleep, food, etc. addiction, you know how overwhelming resisting the temptation to succumb to the "drug" can be. Many times, you think to yourself, It is impossible for me to quit. That, my friend, is where you're wrong. God will never allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. In other words, every time you feel tempted to sin, God has a way for you to escape and gives you the will power you need to resist the grip of transgression. That power is up to you to harness and use for your own benefit.

Once you have harnessed the power to resist temptation, the Bible says that the devil immediately flees from you (James 4:7). The great news about this is that once you have said no to sin, you are free, unencumbered, victorious! When you decide to say NO to the devil and say YES to God, you win and your willpower strengthens. Then, something even more beautiful happens. God blesses you (James 1:12). This is where my new motivation comes from. A man is blessed when he overcomes the temptation to sin! How amazing is that? When you decide stop away from possible transgression, God blesses you. That blessing could translate into any wonderful thing happening in your life. Endless possibilities. And imagine what blessings you would've been stripped of had you decided to sin?

That is where my new motivation lies, my friends. First, God always provides a way out. Second, the devil immediately flees once I decide to resist. And third, God blesses my decision to resist temptation. Wow. What motivation! Next time the devil is schemin' up to destroy me, I'm gonna sock him in the face and say, I will side with God! I know I could sure use another blessing! Go on friends, let that be your new motivation.

-Katelyn Kubosh