April 26
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Once we have determined that we want to get well, overcome our sins, and walk in victory, we work on the second step, (2) Examining and analyzing the circumstances, feelings, and thinking that lead us to sin.
Make a list of the top two or three sins that make you stumble. Think through the last time or two that you stumbled in each those sins. What were you doing before you sinned? What were you thinking? What were you feeling? What happened that day or that week that made you more susceptible to sinning? Did anyone say anything to you or do anything that somehow made you more susceptible to sin, like a critical or disparaging remark, perhaps? Are you one who is concerned and influenced unduly by what others think or say about you, and were you when you sinned? Were you trying to please someone? Were you feeling anxious or discouraged about something? Did someone say or do something that provoked you to anger, or did they reject you in some way that made you feel abandoned and alone and feel less inclined to control yourself?
What specific decisions did you make to go down the path to sin? Can you pinpoint the transition point, where you went from not planning to sin or even planning to not sin to giving yourself over to do the sin? This is the point at which the new man gave up control to the old man. You should be able to recognize this, because our thinking turns from wanting to avoid the sin to a determination to do the sin. It is subtle at first, but recognizable with enough examination, I believe.
What warning or cautionary thoughts came to mind just before or just after your deciding to sin? You surely knew that it was wrong to do before doing it. You knew that it was wrong to let your rational and godly self (the new man) give up control to the old nature. The Holy Spirit was warning you, prompting you also. This is where sin was conceived, and after giving control to the old nature, it bore the fruit of death in us (James 1:14-15).
By carefully thinking through these situations, we will begin to see patterns of thinking and failure that will help us better see the way of escape and avoid giving ourselves over to sin in the future. We use the answers to these questions to formulate a plan of escape, which we will talk about tomorrow.