Remove the Temptation
By John David Hicks
When I got up this morning, I saw that my dog, Bruce got into the garbage in the night. This has been his big weakness. Bruce has a good heart and wants to please. He is the best dog we have ever had. But when he is left alone and exposed to the garbage—he falls into temptation. James 1:14 says, “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” So, we have learned the hard way, not to expose him to temptation. He can’t handle it.
Jesus told us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” You are to ask God to make you aware of temptation and the evil one. The Spiritual lesson here is—remove the temptation! Like Joseph, you must “run from the zone of temptation.” You cannot sit there and argue about the temptation with Potiphar’s wife. She will not listen. Remember the ten second rule? You have ten seconds to run. The longer you stay, the stronger the temptation becomes. Joseph ran and thus, overcame the temptation.
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13). That “way out” is to run from the zone of temptation!