Daily Devotional: 7/5/2018 - WATCHMAN

"My son, if sinful me entice you, do not give in to them." Proverbs 1:10

This devotional is just like nay other devotional that I write out, it is a reminder and help for everyone, but also a reminder and help for me as well. We live in a dark world where the devil has a hold on many people and the way they act and think. I would be lying if I said that if I do not fall for his temptations and get tripped up by the stick he throws in front of me. We all do and we all will. We are not perfect and never will be. It is all about the way you get up, we have to repent and set our eyes on God. He will guide us, as long as we focus on his path and the way to him. We have to try our best not to trip and fall, we have to protect our heart and mind (check out Gateway from 5/25/2018). On a daily basis we are tempted, not a "perfect" day goes by. We are living in the world, we are living in the domain of the devil and are living in darkness. It is like walking in mud and expecting not to get dirty. Some days it is only your feet are in the mud and the rest of you is clean, meanwhile some days you are fully submerged and there is not a clean inch on your body. The good news is there is a way to get clean and that is be with Jesus. This is when you read, spread his love, pray, go to church, do anything that is godly. Luke 11:39 says, "Then the Lord said to him, 'Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed  and wickedness.'" This is one of my favorite things Jesus has ever whispered in my ear while reading his Word (wrote this on my YouVersion notes: "This is something that we struggle with daily. We wash our earthly bodies on a daily basis, we shower in the morning/after work/after working out/at night after a long day, we wash our hands after getting them dirty; but we do not was our soul. Our soul is the most important part of the body. That is what draws close to God. If it is full of dirt and much from the darkness of the world it will continually pile on until we are fully submerged in the darkness. Today take a spiritual shower and wash your spiritual hands. Grow close to Jesus and wash away the earthly desires. Wash your soul with the soap of Jesus." The devil knows our weaknesses, he even knows them better than we know them. He knows where every single one of our holes are. For most of the world that is sex (lust), money (idols), and drugs. "It is what makes the world go round". Said it before and I will probably use this example until I master it (probably never, but we can pray, right?), lust. And boy does the devil know it, and I am not the only one that struggles with it. Everyone of my co-workers and my teammates, too (it is kind of annoying). All they every talk about is women, they talk about the times they had sex, who is hot and who is not, "check out this girl", "look at that a$$". About ten times a day I get asked to check someone out, and then followed with the occasional "would you hit?" The worst part is that they know I do not do that stuff and that I try to stay away. They know I read my Bible, at work I am nicknamed "Jesus Piece". I just cannot and we cannot feed into it, got to ignore it and focus on Jesus. We cannot give into the temptations, we have to pray our way out of them. Jesus is the perfect example to follow. Just look at Matthew 4 where he was seriously tempted by the devil. Jesus came in the flesh for a reason. He came to live among us, to suffer like us, be tempted like us, and to defeat death in the flesh. He was always equipped with Word and we have to follow that. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (Loaded - 5/30/2018). We have to know the mission and know the playbook. We have to act like Jesus. Do not fall for the desires of the world. Do not feed the flesh, feed the Spirit. Constantly be on watch, the devil is always on the prowl (1 Peter 5:8). Do not fall for the "it is okay to look as long as you do not touch" (Matthew 5:28), it is still a sin. This saying only works at a museum or when you go somewhere with you mom. We have to protect and guard our heart, we have to be mindful to where it is leading us.

Lord, thank you for the perfect example that you left for us. Thank you for always being there for us. You constantly show us grace and mercy. You are amazing in all you do. The devil knows our flaws and weaknesses better than we do, but so do you. You are always one step ahead of him. I pray you continue to be with us in all that you do. I pray all this in your son's name, Amen.

#LetsBeAMovement