It impresses me how persistent mosquitoes can be. While I am hiking in the woods, they fly around me looking for a tiny square inch of non-DEET covered skin. It is surprising how long they will fly in front of my glasses sniffing for a non-affected area. Just face it, mosquito, I don't smell good!
Sometimes we are no better. We hover around things we think we want but are not good for us, trying to find some narrow way in. We choose which rules to follow. We rationalize. We let the devil tempt us to keep trying. If you continue to entertain those thoughts, be prepared to get squashed like a bug.
That is why Philippians 4:8 is so important in the lives of believers. We should face the fact that our temptations "stink" and replace those thoughts with things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Think of this as the biblical "sniff" test. If a thought does not have one of these attributes, we should toss it out like we would rotting garbage. Oh, if it were just that easy!
Lets think back to the mosquitoes. Their sting cannot be felt at first, but the effects downstream are uncomfortable, itchy, and sometimes painful. Our "little" sins are often similar--at first they seems like no big deal, then ouch!
Dear Lord, help me get a little better each day at being able to tell which temptations are not good for me.
Dear Lord, help me get a little better each day at being able to tell which temptations are not good for me.
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