"If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 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 10:12-13

Temptation is an opportunity to do what is right. Temptation is not a sin.  Temptation is a natural inclination or desire based on our selfishness but the temptation alone is not sin until the temptation is acted upon.  Therefore, when we are tempted, we are given a choice.  The choice should be to do what is right.

Lord, give me the strength to do what is right.

""Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship." Romans 12:1

Our innate nature tells us that we need to be "a good person".  We feel that if we are a "good person" then we will be liked by others, and hopefully, liked by God.  Being good is admirable but being good doesn't get us anything in terms of salvation.  We can't be good enough.  We are too bad to be good enough.  But we can sacrifice and in our attempts to sacrifice, we show God that we truly believe in Him and we are thankful for what He has done through His Son, Jesus.

Lord, help me to prioritize sacrifice over goodness. 

"I know, my God, that You test the heart and that You are pleased with uprightness. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart."  1 Chronicles 29:17a

The word "right" has a lot of meanings and synonyms. Some of those definitions and words are less favorable than others.  Accurate.  Correct.  Exact.  These words are what are being referred to when speaking of uprightness.  Being right is a worthy goal.  Being right with God is the most worthy goal.

Lord, help me to be right when it comes to You.

"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. " 2 Timothy 4:7

This verse does not say, "I showed up.  It was fast and easy.  I really did nothing."  That is how we would prefer life to be.  At least we would prefer the uneventful, easy and quick process to most of the events of our lives.  However, if the goal of life is to have faith in God and to reap the benefits of that faith, then a fight and a race are more appropriate.  We can't win a race by sitting and watching from the curb.  We won't prosper in our lives by sitting on the sidelines and hoping that we will be disrupted and inconvenienced as least as possible.  We need to live life and if we do, it will be difficult but rewarding at the same time.

Lord, help me to realize that the purpose of life is not meant to be easy.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11 

We spend a good amount of time avoiding discomfort.  But how much time do we spend avoiding or guarding against attacks that may not only make us uncomfortable but may destroy us.

Lord, help me be aware of the battle that is being waged against me.

"LORD, how long will You continually forget me? How long will You hide Your face from me?" - Psalm 13:1

If you have been a parent or if you have been around a really little kid, you have undoubtedly seen a one or two year old put their hands over their entire face and say, "Where did you go?".  It is cute and funny and God has given us that experience as an example of how he views us.  We put our hands over our faces and yell/cry/whine "Where are you God?".  And there He is, the entire time, simply saying, "take your hands off your face and look at me, I am right here all of the time".

Lord, help me to see You, and keep me from covering my eyes.

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.  Deuteronomy 13:4 NIV

There are both pros and cons with most memberships.  The pros: the feeling of being part of something bigger than you and the benefits of having others share the work or cost.  The cons:  there is usually a cost, both financially and independence, as well as the "guilt by association" that may come from negativity in or about the group.  Membership on "Team God" is the one membership that the benefits far surpass any costs.

Lord, thank you for allowing me to be a member of your team.

". . .the joy of the Lord is our strength." Nehemiah 8:10 

My smart phone goes into "low power mode" when the battery life gets down to 20%.  I often go into low power mode myself when my battery is drained.  My problem is that I should be plugged in more often to God and be less reliant on my own battery power.  We are meant to be dependent on God and we should be plugged in to His power and not be left on our own limited battery.

Lord, thank you that I have the opportunity to be plugged in constantly to You and please help me to avoid the temptation to pull my plug.

"The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.'" Mark 6:30-31a

We all need rest.  However, that rest comes AFTER we work.  There needs to be a balance.  We need to work hard, and then when the hard work is done or when we have worked hard for an appropriate amount of time, rest is required.  

Lord, help me to work hard but help me to find ways to rest as well. 

"Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

Fear is human.  Actually, more precisely, fear has been created by humans.  God didn't give us fear.  God has given us the opposite of fear.  God gives us strength and courage.  We experience fear when we don't trust what God has promised.  If you don't want to be fearful, you can do too things.  One is to get a dog.  The better option is to trust God.

Lord, thank you for giving me tools to not be fearful.