Make a Better Bad Decision!

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13


I once heard it said that good nutrition is about “making better bad decisions”.  Let’s face it, we will make bad decisions.  Because I have a weakness for sweets and salty/crunchy snacks, I have to plan for the potential that I will capitulate to a craving. I must have alternatives that will help me to make a better bad decision.  Continuing the theme of nutrition, I have learnt that sweet fruit is my alternative to candy.  Nut butter is my alternative to salty snacks.  Yoghurt is my alternative to ice cream. You get the drift…

My first step is to acknowledge the fact that I will be tempted to make a bad decision.  I plan for it by having a better alternative so that WHEN it does happen, I have already thought about it.  The same applies to our life goals.  I know some men, who because of their susceptibility to online pornography, set a cut off time if they bring work home.  Even if their task in not completed, they don’t take the chance.  They make a better bad decision…and go to bed knowing that God will honor their decision to maintain their sexual integrity.

God has promised to make a “way out” (other translations call this “a way of escape”).  Wouldn’t it be great, if we could identify what that way is ahead of the temptation?  I have learned that being intentional about “what if’s” is good for my goals.  Playing potential situations ("the tape") forward and rehearsing a response that removes me from tempting situations helps me to be prepared.

Are you struggling with a temptation that can derail one of your life goals, commitments or plans?  Open up about it.  Talk to others whom you trust and who love you.  We are all in this together.


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