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by Ami Samuels

One evening as I was leaving the grocery store, in walked a man pushing a tall, wheeled cart covered in a green tarp with the words Krispy Kreme Doughnuts written on the side. These were not just Krispy Kreme doughnuts, but fresh doughnuts! My defenses were down because it was late and I was tired, and fresh Krispy Kremes were just a few feet away. I gathered my senses and decided the best thing for me to do was keep walking. Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief and putting my temptation behind me, I walked outside to find an abandoned Krispy Kreme truck full of doughnuts. I paused and gazed into the back of the truck with the doors wide open, and now faced an entire truck of the tempting treats.

My imagination began to run wild. I could already imagine tomorrow’s headlines, “Woman Hijacks Krispy Kreme Truck.” I watched in my mind’s eye as I drove recklessly with the steering wheel in one hand and a glazed doughnut with fudge topping and sprinkles in the other. But then, jolted back to reality, I walked on, putting the doughnuts and my temptation behind me.

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Resist means to withstand, strive against, to withstand the action or effect of, or to refrain or abstain from, especially with difficulty or reluctance.

In my weakness, I wanted to give in to the temptation that loomed before me. Isn’t it ironic that the things that tempt us seem to be lurking around every corner, everywhere we turn? This time I stood firm, realizing that I could not have had just one doughnut.

What tempts you?

When Jesus was in the desert he had been fasting for forty days and he was hungry. The enemy came to tempt him. Jesus’ defense against the enemy was to repeat his Father’s words to him. This is another reason why learning the Bible is so important. When temptation comes, we can immediately silence the negative thoughts or turn from temptation with Scripture. When temptation comes, we don’t always have our Bible handy, so it is important to have God’s Word in our hearts and mind so we are always prepared to face the tempter.

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