Yesterday after service a brother stopped me as I was headed out the door to my car, he called out “Bishop Houston, can I talk to you before you leave?” I stopped and waited for him to catch up to me. He said, “Bishop, it happened to me!!! I didn’t think it could happen to me!!! But it did!!!” So, I told him to slow down, catch his breath and let’s take it from the top. He said, I don’t know how or when I lost focus, but I got involved with this ol’ girl and it’s about to destroy my marriage. I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me.
Beloved, He’s not alone. You see, it’s very easy to think we’re immune to sin and temptation.
That’s because we apprehend a disorder called, “I GOT THIS SYNDROME”.
Many of us go to church and try to live right. Sometimes we even shake our heads when others fall into sin, and more than one Christian has said, “That will never happen to me – I GOT THIS.” But, that’s when we become tremendously susceptible. In Galatians 6:1, Paul warns us against the I GOT THIS SYNDROME, he says, “Watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted”.
Beloved, I just love Psalm 51:10-13 especially verse 10: “create in me a pure heart and renew a right spirit within me”. We all would do well if we made David’s prayer in verses 10-11 our daily prayer. No matter how strong we might think we are or what our good intentions might be, we’re no match for Satan.
Beloved, David was speaking from experience when he prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”
This week why don’t you take some time to memorize that prayer or do what I do when I want to remember something, write it out and put it on your refrigerator door or put it on your bathroom mirror. Pray it often.
Beloved, it’s only with the assistance of the Holy Spirit do we have the power to resist temptation.
Will you pray with me?
Let’s pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right (correct) spirit within me. Don’t remove me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.”
In Jesus’ Mighty Name I Pray,
Amen and Amen.
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