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Q. Why do I need an early-warning system for sin?

A. Because our sin employs three clever avoidance strategies to avoid detection:

One of those strategies is denial. Denial says, "Who me? I don't have a problem." How many people have been destroyed by a problem they didn't have!

A second strategy is rationalization. This world-class excuse making says, "I know it might look like a problem to some people, but I know all the reasons it isn't."

Finally, there's scapegoating. It says, "I don't have a problem. It's you that's the problem." Scapegoating is a skunk diverting attention from itself by saying somebody else smells worse.

These attempts to avoid responsibility for our actions must be jettisoned if we desire to please Christ.

How can I strengthen my defenses against temptation?

Look at the type of temptation. Certain temptations have felled us many times in the past. Satan's a pragmatist. He'll use what's worked in the past as long as it still works. So these attacks shouldn't catch us off guard.

Notice the timing of temptations. Do I know when I'm vulnerable? How do I react when I'm fatigued? How do I respond to discouragement? Have I been undone in the wake of a success?

Consider the degree of strength of temptations. A simple law of biology applies: If we feed something it will grow. Resolve to deal with your temptations while they are small. If you indulge and feed them, you may not like what comes back the next time you encounter them.

David Swartz is pastor of Dubuque Baptist Church in Dubuque, Iowa.

Adapted from The Magnificent Obsession (NavPress, 1990) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Forgive me, my Savior, for my denial of, or my cavalier attitude toward, my sins that cost You Your life.

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