HASTE
Genesis 25:29-34
1 Timothy 1:5: “The goal of this command [not to teach false doctrines] is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
Genesis 25:29-34
1 Timothy 1:5: “The goal of this command [not to teach false doctrines] is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
When does the devil have the best opportunity to successfully tempt a person to sin? When do our consciences have the hardest job resisting forbidden attractions? Even when choosing between options, kids are vulnerable (VUL-ner-a-ble, meaning exposed, open) to the devil’s tricks.
Consider how Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. The birthright was a BIG DEAL 5,000 years ago. Holding the birthright gave that person the biggest share of the father’s inheritance. It made him the head of the family, with all power and authority. Esau bargained it away because he was hungry.
Jacob must have laughed to himself. SURE, you can have a bowl of my soup in exchange for your birthright! Imagine Jacob’s delight. He must have thought, I would have given him a bowl of soup regardless; he’s my brother. Did you ever hear someone say they laughed all the way to the bank? That’s Jacob. What did you think when you heard this story from the Bible?
Because Easu was hungry, he gave away his future for a bowl of soup. How did he even consider making this deal with his brother? Before we do anything this foolish, here is a way to avoid falling into the trap. This as easy as: "stop, look, and listen" before crossing a street.
The acronym HALT stands for Hunger, Anger, Lonely, Tired. When you are too any of one of these things, your judgment is impaired. This leads you to make hasty, bad choices. Your conscience is hungry, angry, lonely, and tired too. In this state, it can’t help you made wise decisions.
We are too weak when we allow ourselves to get to any extreme in any of these conditions. This opens the door for Satan to tempt us into making unwise judgments—based solely on what we need at the moment. He strikes when we are at our physical or emotional limit. This is what it means to have our backs against the wall—nowhere to go.
Our defense is to recognize when this is happening, and HALT Satan in his tracks. Eat, sleep, cool down, find someone to hug. This is the believer’s best way to protect the conscience and refrain from temptation that is too attractive to resist. Short-term answers are not solutions.
Keep in mind that Satan’s plans carry a high price in the long run.
Take Home Nugget
Sometimes it helps to think before making a decision. Such as: Will I be pleased tomorrow with what I’m choosing today? And HALT the devil in his tracks.
Before leaping into a fault, demand the devil to H.A.L.T.!
J. D. Griffith
Click here for an Interactive-Online-Lesson for Haste
A personal, private lesson experience with our staff
Written for http://www.biblestudyforkids.com/
A personal, private lesson experience with our staff
Written for http://www.biblestudyforkids.com/
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment