Scripture: Proverbs 7:22 All at once he followed her.
Observation ‘All at once…’ The authour see a simple young man and a woman. The woman kisses him, tempts him. It’s only temptation but what is he going to do? The moment of decision. He could walk away. But ‘all at once he follows her’. There’s a moment when temptation becomes sin. All sin begins with a thought (as Jesus’ did). The temptation is there and if we catch it at the thought level, we’ll be okay. If wisdom and understanding are our constant companions, we catch sin at the thought level. We can succumb to it or turn away from it. Jesus always turned away. We can, in any circumstance and by the Holy Spirit, have the ability to do the same.
Application The application is easy: guard your heart, guard your mind. Be aware of your thoughts. Be conscious of what I let into your mind. Learn to identify temptation at its first appearance when it’s easy to deal with. Then deal with it.
Life application for today Be aware of temptation so I can avoid sin.
Prayer Lord, help me to keep the eyes of my mind open so that I will not be surprised by temptation. And help me to deal with it quickly.