Temptations are tricky. They sneak up on you when you least expect it. You’re going along, thinking you’ve got it all together and then…
WHAM!
A big fat temptation hits you!
Well, that’s not exactly true. We may be going along alright, but somehow, we’ve let an old thought or pattern creep back in. We become complacent or simply lazy with our boundaries.
Either way, it’s very dangerous.
In October my daily 12 Step devotional focuses on Step 10:
We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
So far the readings have hit home. Hard!
Check out these samples:
Dealing with Anger: Deal with short-term anger before it turns into long-term destruction.
Preventing Relapse: Only God’s Word will help us continue in recovery and avoid the devastation of relapse.
Dangerous Pride: Even the pride we feel in recovery can set us up for temptation and relapse.
Spiritual Exercises: Continued inventory will keep us spiritual fit and strong in the face of temptation.
Personal Boundaries: Honest inventories help us maintain boundaries important to recovery.
Positive Thoughts: What we keep in our mind and heart determines what we do and say.
Perseverance: We cannot win the race for recovery by going just part of the way.
No Shortcuts: On our journey toward recovery, shortcuts are only stepping stones to a relapse.
Daily Recovery: We will always be tempted by our old lives; but we need not always fall prey to them.
Needless to say, I’ve been doing some serious reflecting.
I don’t know about you, but an enticing temptation is not worth what it could cost me; all the ground I’ve gained in my marriage and my family, not to mention my health and my very life. More than anything, I don’t want to compromise the testimony I have today.
It’s time to reassess boundaries. Put back up the concrete barriers that can protect my heart, mind and soul.
Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. – Romans 13:14
10-11-10
