When We Are Tempted, Dig Deep
“Dig deep”, I tell him, “dig deep right now in this moment and search for the good”! He had been asked to do something he didn’t want to do, and the temptation to talk back, or stalk away in disobedience was there brimming over on the surface of his face. The war between good and evil, a visible thing. I understand what he’s going through. It’s what I am telling myself too. I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about how to truly eradicate the sin in my life into lasting and sincere change. The heat of the moment comes, and just as naturally as ever, I fall back into the trap of giving in to temptation-snapping impatiently or saying something to a family member that does more harm than good. We often pray about our sin issues, our desires to become more Christ-like, but what do we actually do about it? The time to work on it is not only in the quiet of prayer, asking for help to change, it’s in the heat of the moment, right then, to stop, dig deep, and then do the right thing.
The next time you find that you are about to give in, again, stop and breathe and then make that choice to overlook, to speak gently, to be generous, to offer grace. My sons are watching me as I work on this in my own life. I think it’s critical to give them practical tools to handle their struggles with sin when the moment is threatening to overtake them. The Holy Spirit is real. He’s living in the hearts of those who are saved, and that means that you have the ability at any moment to draw on that awesome power to change. It’s in the middle of the conflict of your heart that the change will become real, by one mindful act of your will, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and fueled by your desire to love God by your obedience.
How about you? Ever feel that the battle to do the right thing is a tough one?
Follow me on Facebook for more inspiration and discussion: http://www.facebook.com/MotherOfKnights?ref=hl
Find me on Twitter: Amber Lia
Start pinning on Pinterest as well: http://pinterest.com/amills6/