Psalm 119:145–152 ‘My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, LORD, according to your laws.’ (vv148–149)
In critical situations, we call out in an attempt to summon help. God invites us to request His support when challenged. One way to prepare for such situations is to decide where we take our stand; God’s Word or our understanding? We are invited to shelter in God’s shadow (Psa. 91:4) to successfully extinguish temptation the moment it captures our attention. Its fires ignite quickly and rapidly consume our will to resist. It takes vigilance and disciplined practice to quench sins’ seductive power. As a daily sinner, I’m a living witness to the frailty of human resolve.
Only God can ‘preserve our life’. Without God, we may find justification to explain away our attitudes and behaviours, yet these are no more than attempts to save face born from pride. One reason why acknowledging our weaknesses to others is so difficult and seemingly embarrassing. Yet, we share a common humanity, all equally subject to temptation and sin (1 Pet. 4:8). Openness and honesty are core values on which effective Christian discipleship is built. Difficult as it is to own what we see as the worst of sins, Scripture encourages us in stating that what’s exposed to the light no longer haunts us whilst living within the shadows of our darkness and deception.
Scripture to consider: Psa. 119:121–152; Luke 11:33–35; James 5:16–20; 1 John 1:5–10.
An action to take: Where is temptation defeating you? How will you bring this into the light and break its hold on your life?
A prayer to make: ‘Lord, help me to remain vigilant at all times and refuse to live in the shadows with unconfessed sin. Amen.’
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