Psalm 141

1 O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!
2 Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.
3 Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.
4 Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.

5 Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine.
Don’t let me refuse it. But I pray constantly against the wicked and their deeds.
6 When their leaders are thrown down from a cliff, the wicked will listen to my words and find them true.
7 Like rocks brought up by a plow, the bones of the wicked will lie scattered without burial.

8 I look to you for help, O Sovereign Lord. You are my refuge; don’t them kill me.
9 Keep me from the traps they have set for me, from the snares of those who do wrong.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, but let me escape.

Temptation is understandable. It's common to all of us. In fact, David calls the fruit of temptation "delicacies."

If it were not so, we wouldn't be tempted.

How do we handle temptation? David knew how. He turned to the Lord for help.
1. He asked God to take control of his conversation. (don't talk about tempting things)
2. He asked God to prevent him from drifting toward evil. (don't go near temptation)
3. He asked for discipline from godly people. (seek out Godly guidance)
4. He asked for humility to receive correction. (submit to Godly guidance)
5. He prayed for destruction of the wicked. (work to eliminate tempting opportunities)
We shouldn't beat ourselves up when we are tempted. After all, we lust after evil exactly because it is so attractive. Rather than waste that energy...let's focus on productive methods to overcome. That means we go straight to God.

Live boldly out there today...