Resisting Temptation

God keeps us from acting in sin. While He does forgive us from sin, He also prevents us from sinning against Him. David is tempted to murder Nabal and all the males of his household after Nabal insults David and refuses to send help for his soldiers. But on his way to destroy Nabal, David meets Nabal’s wife Abigail, who offers food and drink to David’s men and asks for mercy from them. Her bold and wise counsel stops David from pursuing the path of sin. When he comes to his senses, David gives credit to the Lord for speaking through Abigail. He is grateful that God has kept him from committing a sin that would have been a terrible record against him and against Israel.

As we seek God’s guidance today, we can trust that He not only forgives us of our past sins, but also works within and around us to keep us from sin. The decision to sin is ours, but God in His mercy chooses to help us resist sin’s temptation. This shows not only that God is faithful and near to us, but also that we are in constant need of Him. For where would we be if God had left us to our own sinful inclinations? What would we do if we were left to deal with the temptation of sin on our own? When we are open to God’s leading, we, like David, have cause to praise God that He does not lead us into temptation, but instead leads us in the ways of righteousness.