Make your mind up first

One of the things I've learned over the last few years is that we can avoid a lot of troubles in our own life if we make up our minds in advance of temptations coming our way, as to how we are going to hadle them. When we-pre decide how we will deal with the temmptations that come upon us in life, when they do, we have a battle plan for not falling into those temptations. Psalm 119:11 says " I have hidden Your word in my heart thatI might not sin against you." (NIV). Recognizing that when we sin, it's God Himself that we sin against. A friend of mine likens sin in the body of believers that Christ calls His Church to an infection. When we don't deal with sin in our lives, as a part of the body, it affects the entire Church in one way or another, even if we can't see it. Deciding beforehand that we're not going to give in and having God's Word in your heart are important tools for avoiding the sins associated with whatever temptations we fall into. And when we fall, it's important to repent, confess, and trun from those sins. As long as we have skin on, we are going to fall short, but when we pre-decide and then follow throug, we gain victory and God is glorified when we get it right. Pre-decide today on how you would deal with the temptations in areas of your life that seem to tempt you the most. And hide God's Word in your heart to help win the battle when it comes! Hope you have a blessed day!