Good morning!
Welcome to your morning coffee! May our Heavenly Father grow in us a greater hunger for the Bible! Father, thank you for your Word, given lovingly and loyally to us. Your grace and mercy in communicating with us is more than we could ever deserve. Help us to fill our hearts up with your Word. As scripture overflows out of our hearts, may we live lives full of obedient, selfless love for you and each other. In the name of Jesus and by the presence of the Spirit in us, convict those of us who need it that we have neglected to fill our hearts with your Word. And call us to come and eat of that which is so much more than bread!
Your Morning Song: "Hold Me Jesus" by Rich Mullins
Your Morning Scripture: Psalm 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
...
It is a simple answer to a simple question. What is the best way to resist temptation? Fill yourself with God's Word.
Your daily devotional time matters. The time you spend each day, in-between things, along the way, considering God's Word and his will, matters. It is cumulative.
And when temptation comes our way, and for each of us it always will, whatever is in our hearts will be the foundation of how we will respond. If our hearts are full of empty whatevers consumed just to entertain us, we will give in to temptation as just another way to make ourselves happy, to feel good. But if our hearts are full of God's Word then we will respond to temptation just as Jesus did to Satan in the desert, denying ourselves and pleasing our Heavenly Father.
Have you ever heard of "breaking the fourth wall?" It's a phrase most commonly used to refer to a character in a TV show or movie turning and looking at the camera, at the audience, and even sometimes talking to the audience.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, he responded by denying Satan half-truth lies, and his own temptations, by quoting and following scripture. He showed us what it looks like to put Psalm 119:11 into real, everyday practice. And when I read this verse from the Psalms and remember Jesus's response to Satan, it makes me smile to feel Jesus looking through that scene in scripture to me, considering his prescriptive reaction to temptation.
Prepare yourself to be tempted by fill your heart with Scripture!
Each of us has a heart full of something. The human heart is never empty. What is in your heart? When temptation comes, how will you respond?
If you look back and find yourself struggling to overcome consistent sin, consider whether or not you've left yourself weak and vulnerable by neglecting your Bible. If you're alive to read this, then it isn't too late to change your habits! Go get in His Word!
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