September 11, 2023
Melissa Valerio
On September 11, 1971, 13-year-old Donny Osmond’s cover version of Go Away Little Girl reached number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Interestingly, it was recorded previously by 3 different artists within the course of 9 years. There is quite a bit of wisdom in the lyrics, considering it’s a secular song. The first four lines go like this:
Go away little girl
Go away little girl
I’m not supposed
To be alone with you
If only this song had been around when King David was alive. Oh, how he would have benefited from taking Donny’s advice. A wise person once said, “If we fail to learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.” History is the most valuable tool for instruction. Standing on this side of time, we can look back and glean from the mistakes that others made. The stories in the Bible are more than just good bedtime stories, they’re written for you and me to learn from. They’re full of examples of men and women just like us that have fallen into sin. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 gives us fair warning against setting our hearts on the evil things of the world. Yet it also gives us encouragement that we can bear up under it. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” v 13, RSV
No doubt, we live in a very tempting world. There is always something that is appealing to our flesh. The temptation of lust, or pride, or greed, or jealousy, or discontentment. So many ways the Devil is tempting us to do, say, or think something that is against loving and honoring our Lord. But as verse 13 promises, God is faithful. And He is always providing a way for us to endure temptation. Jesus gives us the perfect example of enduring temptation in Matthew 4:1-11. Each time the Devil tempted Him, He responded with scripture. This right here is the key to enduring temptation. The strategy for victory over temptation is knowing, speaking, and applying God’s word. Because for sure, temptation will come. We cannot avoid it altogether; the key is knowing how to respond when it comes.
Prayer: Almighty God, help us to learn from the mistakes of our forefathers. Thank You for including them in Your word so that we may gain a better understanding of how to live faithfully for You. Let our lives not be an example for anyone else except for good. In Your son’s holy name, Amen.
Action: It is so important to keep God’s words deep in our souls. That’s the only way we can attack Satan when He comes after us. Let’s use God’s words to break the temptations when they come.
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