STOP!
It’s such an easy thing to do.
I’m in my car, approaching an intersection. To my right is a round, red sign with large, white letters.
STOP! it commands.
I barely have to think about it. In a smooth motion that’s as natural as breathing, I take my foot off the gas and press on the brake.
Viola! Directions followed to a tee. If only it were that easy to stop every time I’m headed right into the path of sin.
When I catch myself being judgmental, jealous, or unforgiving. When I’m lazy, or create an unending string of excuses for not moving forward. When my tongue turns sharp or my patience grows thin. It’s not that I can’t stop. It’s that sometimes I won’t.
I always feel a familiar tinge of guilt―the work of the Holy Spirit in me―and that’s when my future hangs in the balance. Do I stop, or do I barrel through, headed for disaster?
Choosing to stop should come as naturally to me as putting my foot on the brake. After all, I know the right thing to do, and God has made a way for me to do it.
Writing about temptation, the apostle Paul said, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
God promises to help us pump the brakes even when everything in us wants to step on the gas. He is for us, and He’ll never leave us to fend for ourselves.
The intersection with temptation constantly looms in front of us. Will we stop, or will we keep going? If we call on our Heavenly Father, He’ll help us come to a screeching halt.
