WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD ... get your game face on!

We have all heard it before ... "If it feels good ~ do it!" Now there is a slogan that our society has grabbed a hold of. Our world is full of temptation and the sad thing is that people don't even try to resist temptation, it is easier to just give in.

There is not one person who is not tempted by something. What I am tempted with may be different than what you are tempted with, but no matter what, the old saying is true ... "I can resist anything, except temptation."

In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question, "Which bargain would be the hardest to resist?" The top 3 answers were:

1. 50% of those voting said that they would not be able to resist a free airline to Hawaii.
2. Another 50% who voted said that they would have difficulty resisting  a buy one/get one free at their favorite restuarant.
3. 30% of those polled said that a buy one/get one free at a local clothing store would be hard to resist.

Temptation. Why is it so difficult for us to resist it? The answer for today is the same as it was for Adam and Eve in the Garden...

Genesis 3:1a "The serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made."

Not only is the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden the story of the first temptation, but I believe it is also the prototype for all temptations. If we know the tactics of our opponent ~ we will know how to beat them. Look at what happened in the Garden that day...

"Did God really say that?" (Genesis 3:1)

Temptation will often make us question what God has really said to us. If we are not sure of what God has said, then why should we restrain ourselves? The "why" is found in His promises...He said that we could rely upon His Word to guide us. Having confidence in Gods Word is the first step for fighting temptation!

"You will not surely die!" (Genesis 3:4)

People too easily allow themselves to believe that consequences are for other people and not for them. The serpent used this same tactic to lure Eve. If we deal with consequences in a naive kind of way, it does not eliminate the consequences or make them easier.

"and they hid from the Lord God". (Genesis 3:8)

So many times the reason that we fall into temptation is because we think we can get away with it. Nobody will notice, nobody will know. But that is such a lie, because someone does know ~ God sees and He knows.

It was not Gods idea for Adam and Eve to disobey and fall into temptation. It is not His plan that we slip and mess up and fall into temptation either. The Psalmist described exactly how we can know that we do not have to face temptation alone. God is with us, guiding us and leading us and encouraging us to be strong in Him.

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD is a weekly post designated to highlight thoughts of a recent personal study. This week I was reading about temptations and I came across this passage in Genesis and considered how facing the one who tempts us is much like facing an opponnent in a sports game ... we must put on our game faces and seek God's strength daily!

Do you have your game face on?