Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. (Psalm 19:13)
Last time we talked about temptation and how it comes from our own desires. But, temptation could also come from external sources (although I believe we all carry enough baggage on our own). Things we see, hear, taste and touch:
Don’t be tempted by their beauty; don’t be trapped by their flirting eyes. (Proverbs 6:25)
So she tempted him with her charms, and he gave in to her smooth talk. (Proverbs 7:21)
Don’t let wine tempt you, even though it is rich red, and it sparkles in the cup, and it goes down smoothly. (Proverbs 23:31)
So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. (Proverbs 6:29)
Things of power, relationships, and money.
But I almost stumbled and fell, because it made me jealous to see proud and evil people and to watch them prosper. (Psalm 73:2-3)
The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong. (Psalm 125:3)
My child, when sinners tempt you, don’t give in. (Proverbs 1:10)
Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold? (Job 31:24)
Now the things that can tempt us are legion, but not all of us are tempted by the same thing. In fact what tempts one, is no big deal for another. But understand, you can follow the temptation or you can escape it:
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
I suppose this passage is the NT support for this Psalm. I asked two questions at the top, dealing with the words deliberate and control. But there’s one more important question to ask: What is freedom? That’s next time.