Since meeting the Lord, I have worked diligently to develop a set of disciplines to live by. These reflect my conviction to do what’s right that would honor and please the Lord. I am certainly far from perfect, but I try my best to give this the highest priority. Thinking about this, I realize there’s another dimension to this conviction to do what’s right. It’s to automatically refuse do to what’s wrong when faced with the temptations I will certainly encounter. A great biblical example of this is Joseph. In Genesis 39:11-12 (NKJV) it says, “But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, {12} that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.†But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.â€

The proper response to temptation must depend on something more failsafe than pondering over what’s right in the moment. We must depend on the habits we’ve formed that have grown out of our conviction to please God. This means our responses must mirror the habitual, immediate exercise of this conviction. It’s fairly simple to do the right thing when there’s plenty of time to weigh the options. It’s another to react to temptation, without having to think, in a correct, God-pleasing way, when it touches our souls. I’m Dr. Bob. A mature, automatic correct response to temptation must be firmly planted within us through the conviction to live for Jesus. Understanding this should make us always look to what Jesus has taught concerning right and wrong.

Conviction Matures into Automatic Responses-05-22-14