I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Ps. 119:11)
AGONIZING SOBS ECHOED throughout the empty sanctuary. Pastor Ken waited for Don, a member of his church, to gain control of his emotions and to share what was troubling him. “I have been fighting temptation,” Don began. “I am feeling an attraction for my secretary and I know it isn’t right. I love my wife and don’t want to be unfaithful to her. I want to follow God’s will for my life.”
Don was a maturing Christian who had studied the Bible and attended worship services since childhood. He knew the teachings of the Bible about the sanctity of marriage. He realized his desire for his secretary was not right.
Pastor Ken was familiar with this type of temptation. He had faced it himself before he became a Christian. Unlike Don, Ken had yielded and committed adultery, which nearly destroyed his marriage. It was during this period in his life that Ken became a Christian and, years later, a minister.
Each day we may face temptation. Perhaps not the same kind of enticement Don and Pastor Ken faced, but another, such as gossiping or cheating on a test. If we have studied God’s Word and hidden it in our hearts as verse 11 states, then God’s indwelling Spirit will awaken it within us when we are tempted to sin.
Today, hide God’s Word in your heart.
Norma C. Mezoe lives in Sandborn, Indiana, where she is active in her church. She began writing after a crisis and has been a published writer for thirty years.
