Tuesday, October 4, 2022

 We Must Ask


Therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you.

2 Chronicles 1:12

It had been a year since the couple had battled issues of infidelity, and he was wondering how his younger brother and his wife were doing. On the surface, everything appeared fine. But he knew that the early stages of temptation rarely show outward signs.

“Have you spoken to Gail about how she and Jeremy are doing lately?” he asked his wife. “They appear to be okay. I just wonder if they really are.”

“Actually, I asked her last week. She assures me things are great,” she responded.

He remembered his own battle with infidelity; it had almost ruined his marriage in the early years. He’d given in to temptation and made a terrible mistake. Fortunately, his wife believed in their marriage vows in a way he would later come to understand, and they had worked through the pain of his indiscretion.

He had become accountable back then by giving two men permission to ask personal questions about his faithfulness and to take any measures necessary to remind him of his commitment to one woman. He’d needed that help because the enemy had visited with the temptation of desire until he gained victory through perseverance. He thanked God once again for the commitment of those two men; for without them asking, “Are you experiencing any sexual temptation?” he would have been left alone to resist the temptation. He prayed that God would send someone to keep his brother and sister-in-law accountable.

We all face some nature of temptation; none are exempt. We need accountability with someone we are comfortable confiding in because self-sufficiency in spiritual matters will eventually result in our failure to resist.

Solomon asked God for wisdom instead of wealth, riches, or honor. Because of that, God granted his desire. He also gave him wealth, riches, and honor.

But wisdom is the key. Without it, we have no basis for understanding with which to make sound decisions.

If someone we know has fallen to temptation in the past, the question is, “Dare we ask him how things are today?” The answer is yes. Wisdom says we must ask.

Prayer

“Help me be a friend that helps others avoid temptation, Lord. And please send someone to help guide me along the path of wisdom. Amen.”

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