Temptation...

I must confess that I am a not-so-recovered reality TV addict. I used to watch every reality TV show a few years ago, regardless of it's entertainment value...and definitely regardless of it's contribution to society. There was this one show called Temptation Island. Basically, the premis of the show was to place couples in a resort island setting, divide the couples into groups of guys and girls, and then bring in 20 members of the opposite sex to tempt them, party with them, and do everything - and I mean everything - they could to destroy the pre-existing couples' relationships.

And that is what temptation does, really. Temptation, if followed through on, leads to our destruction. When the devil tempts us, his desire is not to cause us to have a bad day. His plan is not to cause us to stumble or to make a little mistake...He desires to destroy us. He wants to bring us destruction and death.

But here's the deal: We like to dance with temptation. We like to get as close to sin as we can. We want to know how close we can get without it "officially" being a sin. We all struggle with our flesh and it's desires to dance with temptation. So we toe the line and get as close to sin as we think we can...And then we wonder why we continually stumble and fail.

The apostle Paul addressed this in a letter to his young friend Timothy. He told him to RUN AWAY from tempation...He literally screamed at him to run from temptation and toward righteousness.

What are you doing to run away from temptation? It's so easy to go through life dancing with temptation and then wondering why you continue to struggle and fail in following Christ...Here's some advice we can all use when it comes to dealing with temptation: Set some boundaries. Get some accountability. And when the devil comes knockin', run away...