The
Nail Biter
Resist the devil and he will flee.
James 4:7
As he pulled out his clippers, Gary
received a revelation…he couldn’t remember the last time he’d
been tempted to bite his fingernails. But he remembered the battle.
Battles like that you never forget, he thought.
Looking at his fingers, he remembered
the discipline required to overcome the desire to chew his nails
until there was nothing left but bleeding quick. As he thought about
the long struggle it was as if God was taking him on a journey
through the process of his victory so he could recognize the need for
consistent, unyielding resistance during the battle. He realized God
had given him exactly what he’d needed each day as he’d waged war
against the temptation.
He remembered that as he refused to
give in to the temptation to disfigure his fingers, he received the
thought to focus on something else. In retrospect he could see how
God had directed him to do certain things while avoiding others.
He smiled as he uniformly clipped nails
that extended past his fingertips, nails that showed no vestiges of
ever have been bitten. He smiled because as he clipped he could hear
God whisper, “I will always help you overcome the barriers and
obstacles you face, but I will not do it for you.”
†
Resistance against anything counter to
God’s desire for our lives is our responsibility. And it is rare
when He delivers us out of the battle with no effort on our part.
But, He will always help us overcome.
Overcoming is a process through
which temptation is overcome; in other words, we must determinedly
and continually resist to gain the victory!
We must not regard any battle as
inconsequential or unobtainable, whether it’s nail-biting, sexual
sin, overeating or lying. Satan will keep us in bondage as long as we
allow his lies to reign over our self-discipline.
Gary didn’t just quit biting his
nails one day…he overcame the temptation through persistent
resistance with the Holy Spirit’s help.
If we expect victory in our lives we
must ask for God’s help with the understanding that He will fortify
our position every time we resist temptation.
Prayer
“Lord, give me strength
to discipline myself with Your help and the promise of victory over
the enemy. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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