Fighting Temptation When No One is Watching

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A young evangelist is suddenly in the spotlight. Billy

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Graham is filling tents and auditoriums and traveling from

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city to city. He's staying in hotels surrounded by attention

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and opportunity and all the quiet temptations that come with

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it. In 1948, he and his team stopped in Modesto, California,

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and while they were there, they made a list of what had taken

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other preachers down—money, sex, and pride. Then, they do

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something unusual for ambitious young men. They decide to tie

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their own hands with strict boundaries. No being alone with

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women who aren't their wives. No fuzzy finances. No exaggerating

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numbers. In a world that says, trust yourself, you're strong

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enough, why would they choose to limit themselves before anything

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had even gone wrong?

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I am Bart Leger, and

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today we're talking about those moments when no one is watching,

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when no one would know what you clicked on, what you poured,

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what you bought, or what you hid. Jesus knows all about

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temptations, and so did the Apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians

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10.13, he gives us a promise concerning temptations. The

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temptations in your life are no different from what others

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experience, and God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation

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to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will

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show you a way out so that you can endure. There's a whole lot

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of comfort packed into that verse, and I believe a lot of

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challenge, too. First, the comfort. The temptations in your

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life are no different from what others experience. That means

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you're not unusual. Whatever you're wrestling with in secret

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could be anger, lust, greed, jealousy, maybe addiction, or

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bitterness. You're not the first person to face it, and you're

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not disqualified from God's help because your struggle feels

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shameful. Secondly, the promise. God is faithful. He will not

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allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. Now, that

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doesn't mean that the temptation won't feel strong. It means God

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has already measured it against what he knows you can handle

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with his help. He's not setting you up to fail. Third, the

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provision. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so

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that you can endure. Notice, he doesn't say he'll remove the

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temptation. He says he'll show you a way out. There's always a

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door, but you have to be looking for it, and you have to be

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willing to walk through it. Here's where it gets practical.

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The way out usually doesn't appear in the heat of the moment.

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At least, we don't notice it, maybe. It appears before the

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moment, in the boundaries you set, in the accountability you

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invite, and the habits you build when no one's watching. That's

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exactly what Billy Graham and his team understood in Modesto.

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Instead of waiting for a crisis, Billy Graham and his team

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treated 1 Corinthians 10.13 as true, assuming temptations would

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come, and seeing wise guardrails as God's way out. Those private

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decisions in Modesto helped keep Graham's public ministry clean

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for decades. The real battle wasn't on the stage. It was in

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hotel hallways, closed-door meetings, and financial reports

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where no one was watching. His life reminds us that God is

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faithful to provide an exit in every temptation. But most of

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the time, that exit looks like humble, practical choices we

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make long before the moment hits. So, what does that look like for

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you? Maybe the way out is putting your phone in another

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room at night so you're not tempted to scroll into dark

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places. Maybe it's setting up an accountability app or telling

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one trusted friend about your struggle. Maybe it's not keeping

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certain things in the house. Maybe it's leaving a

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conversation, a website, or a relationship before it crosses a

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line. These aren't signs of weakness. I believe they're

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signs of true wisdom. You're not trusting yourself too much.

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You're trusting God enough to take the exit He provides. And

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here's something else. You don't have to fight alone. Part of

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God's way out is often other people. James 5.16 says, Confess

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your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may

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be healed. And there's power in bringing your secret struggle

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into the light with one safe person. Because sin loves the

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dark, but it loses power when it's exposed to the light.

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Here's today's challenge. Think about one area where you're

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fighting a private battle. Something you haven't told

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anyone. Something that tends to pull you down when no one's

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watching. And today, do two things. First, ask God to show

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you one practical way out. One boundary. One change. Or one

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step you can take before the temptation hits. Write it down

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if you need to. And then secondly, consider telling one

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trusted person. Not the whole world. Just one safe friend.

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Maybe mentor or pastor who can pray for you and check in with

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you. You don't have to be perfect to be forgiven. But you

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also don't have to stay stuck. God is faithful. He will show

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you a way out. Lord, you know our secret battles. The ones

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that no one else sees. Thank you that your word says temptation

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is common and that you're faithful. Help us take the exits

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you provide. The boundaries. The accountability. The humble

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choices that protect our hearts. Give us the courage to bring our

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struggles into the light and trust you with the outcome. In

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Jesus' name, amen. If this episode encouraged you, would

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you consider sharing it with someone who might be fighting

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their own private battle? Just send them the link from the show

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notes. They may need this reminder today. Thanks for

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joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.

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Remember, God always provides a way out of temptation. You never

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have to fight your private battles alone. Come back next

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time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's

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truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.