“Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.” (Proverbs 4:14–15, ESV)
Two friends, Tiffany and Cece, sat together at the deli. They were talking about their shopping trip to come later in the day. Tiffany looked directly into Cece’s eyes and said, “Listen to me, Cece. I’m having a problem with spending. I’m buying things that I really don’t need. I’m buying things to feel better about myself, and then I feel worse about it when the bill comes. You need to do something for me today.”
Cece responded: “You are my best friend. Whatever you need me to do, I’m there.”
Tiffany held out her pocketbook and said, “I need you to hold onto my pocketbook. I put twenty dollars in my pocket, and that’s all I can spend today. I don’t need to spend more than that. I don’t need the guilt. Can you do that for me?”
Cece smiled and said, “I got you, sister. I’ll watch over you!” And she did.
The conversation between Tiffany and Cece is not uncommon in our world today. It is important for conversations like that to happen. Tiffany needs Cece to watch her back, to help curb her spending when she might be tempted to go overboard. Everyone has limitations when it comes to sin and temptations. It is important to know when you need help to face a temptation or sin or lure or time of trial. It is crucial to avoid those things in life that are detrimental to your welfare. Avoiding temptation is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of wisdom and good character. It is a sign that God means more to you than short-lived indulgences.
A survey was done by the Discipleship Journal in 1992. The journal polled Christians about how they dealt with strong temptations. The summary of the results included the following facts: “Survey respondents noted temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God (81 percent) and when they were physically tired (57 percent). Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 percent), avoiding compromising situations (76 percent), Bible study (66 percent), and being accountable to someone (52 percent).” (Discipleship Journal, November/December 1992). If you look closely at these results, people responded to temptations best by first, praying, but also by “avoiding compromising situations”. When you have a strong temptation to sin or fail or make a mistake, it may be in your best interest to avoid a compromising situation altogether.
Avoiding temptations does not imply that you don’t do things that are uncomfortable or difficult or challenging. At times, God will put you in such situations to help you to grow. However, when you find yourself facing a temptation that is extremely difficult or overwhelming, it might be best to simply avoid the situation completely. Most good dieters know that visiting a bakery when you are on a diet won’t bode well. The aroma alone is enough to get you to abandon your diet for the day. Alcoholics are taught to rid their house of all alcohol, so they aren’t tempted to drink in a moment of weakness. If you are prone to cheat on your spouse, it is best that you don’t work with several beautiful people. Some temptations are just too powerful to live with consistently.
When I met Ruth, she was a strong Christian in her mid-twenties. She believed in God with her whole heart. She gave herself to Jesus at a young age. She was a great encourager, always looking to make a situation better. However, Ruth had a difficult relationship with her husband. She was married to a man who was overbearing and irreverent. He never went to church, ridiculed Ruth’s faith, and was a constant irritation in public. Coming from a dysfunctional family, he had a difficult time dealing with his emotions and saying the appropriate words. Ruth knew her husband was hard to live with, but she also knew he loved her dearly.
When I had been at that church for several years, Ruth came to my office out of the blue. I thought her visit was about an upcoming women’s event. It was not. Inside my office, she began to share with me that her marriage had taken a bad turn, and she was worried about cheating on her husband. Ruth was very pretty for her age. She was outgoing and very well liked by all. At times, this put her in difficult situations. At times, she was tempted to cheat on her husband, especially when a man paid her a lot of attention. Ruth asked me for a favor, an unusual one. She asked me to hold her accountable. She wanted me to help keep her out of trouble and help her to find ways to make her marriage better.
A month later, I attended a gathering in the fellowship hall of the church. While there, I noticed Ruth talking animatedly with a good-looking young man in the congregation. That man had recently been widowed at a young age. He was reeling from grief. No doubt, he wanted to find companionship and develop new friendships in the church. However, both Ruth and this man were vulnerable. He was going through grief. She was dealing with a rough patch in her marriage. As I saw them spending more and more time at that gathering talking and then seated beside each other at the meal, I approached Ruth and asked her to step in the kitchen for a moment. While in there, I reminded Ruth that this man was widowed and grieving and vulnerable, though a joy to be around. I asked Ruth if she was developing any feelings for him. She told me that her discussions with this widower in the last hour were more enjoyable than any she could remember with her own husband all week. I asked her to be careful and that he was a temptation. She thanked me for watching out for her. She went back to the table and finished eating but did not spend any more time with him in the weeks following.
Ruth’s marriage is on solid ground today, but things were pretty shaky for several years. I know Ruth is thankful that I was there helping her in a time of need. She knew herself well enough that she needed help to avoid getting the wrong idea or spending too much time with a handsome man. She leaned on me to remain in God’s good graces. She trusted our friendship. She wanted desperately to remain faithful to God and to her husband.
It takes great courage and wisdom to ask another person to help you deal with temptations. It takes great courage and wisdom to also avoid a serious temptation altogether. You need to know yourself and your spiritual limitations. You need to know when to walk away. If you want to be faithful, learn to discern when you need to avoid a temptation that is too great. If you need help in doing so, put your trust in God and in a godly friend. God will want you to succeed. Satan will desire that you fail.
The scripture for today is clear that at times it is highly advantageous to “not walk in the way of evil” (Proverbs 4:14). These verses encourage you to “avoid” those situations that might cause you to sin. I pray you are spiritually mature enough to recognize those situations that need to be avoided, those paths that will only lead you to destruction.
Cece responded: “You are my best friend. Whatever you need me to do, I’m there.”
Tiffany held out her pocketbook and said, “I need you to hold onto my pocketbook. I put twenty dollars in my pocket, and that’s all I can spend today. I don’t need to spend more than that. I don’t need the guilt. Can you do that for me?”
Cece smiled and said, “I got you, sister. I’ll watch over you!” And she did.
The conversation between Tiffany and Cece is not uncommon in our world today. It is important for conversations like that to happen. Tiffany needs Cece to watch her back, to help curb her spending when she might be tempted to go overboard. Everyone has limitations when it comes to sin and temptations. It is important to know when you need help to face a temptation or sin or lure or time of trial. It is crucial to avoid those things in life that are detrimental to your welfare. Avoiding temptation is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of wisdom and good character. It is a sign that God means more to you than short-lived indulgences.
A survey was done by the Discipleship Journal in 1992. The journal polled Christians about how they dealt with strong temptations. The summary of the results included the following facts: “Survey respondents noted temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God (81 percent) and when they were physically tired (57 percent). Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 percent), avoiding compromising situations (76 percent), Bible study (66 percent), and being accountable to someone (52 percent).” (Discipleship Journal, November/December 1992). If you look closely at these results, people responded to temptations best by first, praying, but also by “avoiding compromising situations”. When you have a strong temptation to sin or fail or make a mistake, it may be in your best interest to avoid a compromising situation altogether.
Avoiding temptations does not imply that you don’t do things that are uncomfortable or difficult or challenging. At times, God will put you in such situations to help you to grow. However, when you find yourself facing a temptation that is extremely difficult or overwhelming, it might be best to simply avoid the situation completely. Most good dieters know that visiting a bakery when you are on a diet won’t bode well. The aroma alone is enough to get you to abandon your diet for the day. Alcoholics are taught to rid their house of all alcohol, so they aren’t tempted to drink in a moment of weakness. If you are prone to cheat on your spouse, it is best that you don’t work with several beautiful people. Some temptations are just too powerful to live with consistently.
When I met Ruth, she was a strong Christian in her mid-twenties. She believed in God with her whole heart. She gave herself to Jesus at a young age. She was a great encourager, always looking to make a situation better. However, Ruth had a difficult relationship with her husband. She was married to a man who was overbearing and irreverent. He never went to church, ridiculed Ruth’s faith, and was a constant irritation in public. Coming from a dysfunctional family, he had a difficult time dealing with his emotions and saying the appropriate words. Ruth knew her husband was hard to live with, but she also knew he loved her dearly.
When I had been at that church for several years, Ruth came to my office out of the blue. I thought her visit was about an upcoming women’s event. It was not. Inside my office, she began to share with me that her marriage had taken a bad turn, and she was worried about cheating on her husband. Ruth was very pretty for her age. She was outgoing and very well liked by all. At times, this put her in difficult situations. At times, she was tempted to cheat on her husband, especially when a man paid her a lot of attention. Ruth asked me for a favor, an unusual one. She asked me to hold her accountable. She wanted me to help keep her out of trouble and help her to find ways to make her marriage better.
A month later, I attended a gathering in the fellowship hall of the church. While there, I noticed Ruth talking animatedly with a good-looking young man in the congregation. That man had recently been widowed at a young age. He was reeling from grief. No doubt, he wanted to find companionship and develop new friendships in the church. However, both Ruth and this man were vulnerable. He was going through grief. She was dealing with a rough patch in her marriage. As I saw them spending more and more time at that gathering talking and then seated beside each other at the meal, I approached Ruth and asked her to step in the kitchen for a moment. While in there, I reminded Ruth that this man was widowed and grieving and vulnerable, though a joy to be around. I asked Ruth if she was developing any feelings for him. She told me that her discussions with this widower in the last hour were more enjoyable than any she could remember with her own husband all week. I asked her to be careful and that he was a temptation. She thanked me for watching out for her. She went back to the table and finished eating but did not spend any more time with him in the weeks following.
Ruth’s marriage is on solid ground today, but things were pretty shaky for several years. I know Ruth is thankful that I was there helping her in a time of need. She knew herself well enough that she needed help to avoid getting the wrong idea or spending too much time with a handsome man. She leaned on me to remain in God’s good graces. She trusted our friendship. She wanted desperately to remain faithful to God and to her husband.
It takes great courage and wisdom to ask another person to help you deal with temptations. It takes great courage and wisdom to also avoid a serious temptation altogether. You need to know yourself and your spiritual limitations. You need to know when to walk away. If you want to be faithful, learn to discern when you need to avoid a temptation that is too great. If you need help in doing so, put your trust in God and in a godly friend. God will want you to succeed. Satan will desire that you fail.
The scripture for today is clear that at times it is highly advantageous to “not walk in the way of evil” (Proverbs 4:14). These verses encourage you to “avoid” those situations that might cause you to sin. I pray you are spiritually mature enough to recognize those situations that need to be avoided, those paths that will only lead you to destruction.