Commitment to Resist Temptations (Guest Post Part 2)

This is a continuation of yesterday’s guest post by my husband, Scott Maness. In yesterday’s post Scott told us about commitment despite his childhood circumstances. We got to see a little bit into his life and how he found God to be the answer to what he was seeking.

How did he resist the temptation to get involved in the bad examples and peer pressure around him? What kept him committed to purity despite the temptations from every turn even when he moved away from home?

 I kept myself from temptation by following the words of the Psalmist.

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

– Psalms 119:9-16 KJV

 

(9) “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”

The psalmist is asking the question, “How can a young man keep himself pure?” and the answer is by listening to what God has to say. He can’t help us if we are not willing to listen to Him.

(10) “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.”

We can’t just seek God half way. We can’t just make a show of seeking Him like so many do. We have to actually genuinely look for God with everything in us . Our whole heart has to be involved.

 (11) “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

We need to take God’s word and hide it in our heart and treasure it up for those times when temptation will come. That means we need to memorize it and use it. 

Which is also the secret for a good marriage. If you love your wife and work hard at loving her, treat her well, and have a good relationship at home, temptation will be reduced around you. Your soul will not hunger or long for anything else. 

If you hide God’s word in your heart there is no room for garbage. Whenever someone or something tries to get in your way, you have God’s words right there speaking to your heart. 

 (12) “Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.”

We need God to teach us daily from the things He has written. His instructions will deliver us from manifold troubles.

(13) “With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.”

We need to be willing to share God’s word with others and also be willing to share the good things that God has done for us.

 (14) “I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.”

We need to be at the point in walking with the Lord, where we truly feel rich in His presence not with the wealth of this world but with the far greater riches of His wisdom and glory.

What more do we need? He is our all sufficient Savior.

(15) “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.”

When we spend time deeply thinking on the things of God, we have much better answers for problems here in life. We can make better sense of the chaos in our lives.

 (16) “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”

God’s word needs to become our delight. If God’s word is our delight then the traps of this world will not bring us the pleasure it once did.  If our delight is in Him, we will not need anything else because our hearts will be in Him.

Staying true to His word is what will keep you pure for whoever God has for you. That is really the secret.

Are you strong in God’s word? What verses do you have in your heart that you turn to when you are tempted? Please tell us about it in the comments.

Scott Maness is the husband of Anastacia Maness (that’s me) and is the father of 6. When he is not busy teaching his children art, music, and foreign languages, he pastors New Hope Missionary Baptist Church near Houston, Tx and works in the Technology Department in the local public school system.   He has a Bachelors of Theology Diploma from Texas Baptist Institute-Seminary. You can follow him on his blog at http://lighthouse117.blogspot.com, add +Scott Maness to your circles on Google+, and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

 

This is Day 10 of 31 Days Building Commitment. This series expounds upon my latest book, Don’t Quit: Build a Legacy of Commitment which my husband helped illustrate. You can get your free copy here.

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