The Consistent Presence of Temptation

Have you ever heard the phrase “Temptation Never Takes a Vacation”? I probably heard it in a sermon somewhere or read it in a book. The statement is very true and we see this idea in the story of David and Goliath. Before David really gets involved we read this about Goliath: 16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. Every day for 40 days, the giant Goliath presented himself before the Israelites, challenging one of them to battle. Each day the Israelites knew he was coming and they knew they would feel shame and fear. This happened each day until David rose up against Goliath and killed him.

This example brings to mind the consistent presence of temptation. Whatever your list of temptations is, whether long or short, doesn’t it seem like those temptations present themselves each day? A temptation might present itself in the morning, the evening or several times during the day. Regardless, the temptation seeks to mock you, to make you feel ashamed. This is not going to stop until, like David, you bring the power of God to bear against the temptation. When that happens the temptation can be defeated. Please don’t believe that the temptation will just “go away”. It will not. Put away the shame and the fear by bringing the power of God into the situation to defeat your “giant”.