Day 14

06 Feb Day 14

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT- “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Observation: God’s faithfulness carries us through our hardest temptations and his forgiveness covers us when we fall short.

Application: Like most kids, I was a picky eater. Well, maybe not like most kids because instead of just pushing peas around the plate, I survived on a 90% candy diet. Candy was my biggest temptation and I failed almost every time it was in sight. Even when my parents told me not to eat it, I would indulge anyway. I knew it was wrong, but I felt too weak in my own power to resist. (Yes, I did suffer the consequences when my dentist extracted all of my baby teeth leaving me with silver crowns and no front teeth for the next few years of my life).

As I have gotten older, my temptations have gotten harder and less humorous. For a long time, I was tempted to believe God only loved me if I lived the perfect Christian life. Trying to unlearn that false narrative has been challenging but God has been faithful to provide my way out just as he promised; I read Romans 8:38 which basically says that nothing can ever separate me from his love. Times when we feel like we are running into the same temptation over and over again, we need to remember God’s promises and the example Jesus set for us. The truth is, we all have been tempted – even Jesus. In the New Testament, we read that, at the end of forty long days of prayer and fasting, Jesus was tempted three times by Satan. Each time, Jesus relied on God for his escape plan and used the Bible to fight against these temptations.

God is so faithful to fight on our behalf and one of the ways he does this is by providing us with his Word so that we can stand firm against the lies of the enemy.  At The Journey, we practice something called a “slot and spot,” which is basically when we pick a time slot and a spot where we come before God every day and just be ourselves. In these quiet moments, we talk to God and read his Word so we are able to stay grounded in the truth and are equipped to be courageous against the enemy. As humans, we are bound to mess up and fall into temptation even while God is faithfully giving us another path. The best news of all is that our God is full of grace and mercy.  His faithfulness doesn’t stop with providing us a way out, it extends to forgiving us when we are too weak to take that way out and we give in to the temptation. When’s the last time you relied on God’s promises to carry you through the temptations you are facing?

Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for being so faithful when I feel tempted. May I never take the gift of forgiveness for granted. I know that when you are behind me, there is nothing I cannot face or handle and I rejoice in that truth! In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Going Deeper: 

• What are some of the temptations you are regularly battling?
• What places or people offer more temptation?
• What is one thing you can do to escape temptation next time?

Joanne Koshy/Videography Team Leader, Communications Coach, Journey Kids J-Teamer, Evening Program Class of 2021

Joanne Koshy has been going to The Journey for a few years. She enjoys serving on several J-Team areas. Serving has allowed her to find joy, meet amazing like-minded people, and draw closer to God!