Psalm 141:3-5
Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips. Don't let me so much as dream of evil or thoughtlessly fall into bad company. And these people who only do wrong—don't let them lure me with their sweet talk! May the Just One set me straight, may the Kind One correct me.
Don't let sin anoint my head. I'm praying hard against their evil ways!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
We have entered the “Holiday Season” – the time when diets are broken and people throw caution to the wind. It’s the Christmas Season, after all… we are supposed to indulge. So go ahead… eat that extra piece of fudge… have too much to drink at the office Christmas party… celebrate with your friends when finals are over… get in the holiday spirit! NOT!!!
We are so easily swayed, and we will use the smallest excuse to misbehave. We want to give our children, significant others, our family, and ourselves the best Christmas possible. So we max out every credit card and blow our entire paycheck on things we cannot afford and truly don’t need. Our lights and decorations have to be as good as – or better than – the neighbor’s, so we blow the budget trying to create the “Clark Griswold Extravaganza” that will leave the town talking! And these are just the things we do in November and December!
Think of the countless other ways we are so easily influenced by peer pressure and the wiles of advertisers. At every turn, the devil is at work using others to make us feel inferior… to tempt us to do things we know we shouldn’t just to create an image that makes us feel good about ourselves and accepted by others.
This passage is so important for us. We simply cannot stay on the right path by ourselves… we must rely on God to keep us headed in the right direction and to correct us when we wander. And the only way to do this is to stay in continual contact with Him. We must always be seeking Him in prayer, Bible study, and through association with others who are seeking Him as well.
Don’t let the devil use excuses cloud your judgment. There is no “free pass” because of the holiday season. There is never a time when it’s okay to let down your guard for even an hour. All Satan needs is a tiny crack, and he can worm his way in and wreak havoc. Stay close to God. Ask Him to guard your heart and your thoughts at all times… then LISTEN for His voice and guidance. Enjoy your holiday season knowing that you are operating fully within God’s will… and both of you are pleased with your choices.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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