Friday, February 22, 2013

DO BIBLICAL EXAMPLES, LIKE DANIEL, HELP YOU AVOID TEMPTATION?

Today's promise: No temptation is too great

Do biblical examples, like Daniel, help you avoid temptation?

But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead. Now God had given the chief official great respect for Daniel. But he was alarmed by Daniel's suggestion.… "If you become pale and thin… I am afraid the king will have me beheaded for neglecting my duties.… "Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water," Daniel said.… So the attendant agreed to Daniel's suggestion… At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king.… God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for learning the literature and science of the time. And God gave Daniel special ability in understanding the meanings of visions and dreams.
Daniel 1:8-17 NLT

Daniel's example
Daniel, his friends, and many other young Hebrews had been carried off into captivity far from their culture, their temple, and their faith traditions. Suddenly exposed to the decadence of the king's table, most of them abandoned their commitment to purity and consumed the forbidden fare. But Daniel and his friends had already made a commitment to remain pure, and they had each other for accountability. We are more successful at resisting temptation when we have prepared for it. Determine ahead of time how you will respond in certain situations. And bolster your own resolve by sharing your commitment with another person.

adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 733

It is easier to stay out than get out.
MARK TWAIN

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

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