Good Morning Girls!  So I told you yesterday that we are in temptation week.  Temptations come in all shapes and sizes.  They can be subtle.  They can be blatant.  But who do they come from?  We are warned in James 1:13 not to say God is tempting us, for He is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else to do wrong.  So, I guess that means that the devil does all of the tempting right?  Wrong!  Sure, there are many times when the devil is poking and provoking you to go against what you know is right, but it's not always him.  Our flesh is just as often the culprit.  Our flesh cries about everything.  It wants more food, more sleep, less exercise, more "stuff".  It wants to relax, be lazy, be spoon fed, and non-productive.  All it takes is one Dairy Queen ad, and I'm thinking about ice cream.  One cute pair of jeans in the Express flyer and I need to go shopping.  One Brad Pitt movie and, well, you get the idea.  We are bombarded with external stimulus constantly.  We are subject to so many advertisements we don't even realize we've seen them.  All it takes is one thought.  One thought that we hang on to, and keep in mind.  If we keep it, we soon start to meditate on it.  Once we meditate on it, we need to fulfill it.  And, well, you know the rest.   Pretty soon I'm driving home with a new pair of jeans, a heath bar blizzard, and Legends of the Fall, which I will watch for the one hundredth time.  Many "diets" claim that if you are really craving something you should "just have a little" to satisfy your craving.  Then you will get it out of your system and be able to move on.  Well, I think that is a load of garbage.  First of all, if we were able to "just have a little" we wouldn't be on a stupid diet in the first place.  Secondly, the best way to "get it out of your system" is to KEEP it out of your system!  This concept doesn't apply only to food.  It applies to everything.  If you keep thinking about someone other than your spouse should you just fantasize a little bit and get it out of your system?  Should you just drink a little bit, smoke a little bit, quit reading the Word a little bit?  Of course not.  So, why am I leaving the devil out of this so much?  Well, it's the "devil made me do it" attitude that has derailed so many of us from our goals.  If we keep blaming the devil, that takes the accountability off of us.  Whether the temptation comes from the devil or our own whineball flesh, it is up to us to cast it down, and get rid of it.  We ultimately have to answer for our own actions.  It doesn't matter who or what got us there.  Practice telling yourself NO! a little more, and you will find it easier to reach your goals.

James 1:14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 

Tough Love You All-
jen