Yield Not To Temptation

Matthew 6:13 – And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. (NLT)

What a time we had this morning on our walk. It was simply gorgeous! The sun was warm and caressing on my skin, and the breeze was so refreshing that I wondered if I should convert from being a night owl to being an early bird — well, maybe temporarily. As long as this weather lasted, it might be worth coming out early for our walk.

Sparky was off as usual, running through the long grass, with the plume of his tail waving into sight now and then. There were so many interesting scents for him to follow, especially on a day like today.

Suddenly, he came leaping out of the grass and raced straight to me with his tail down, obviously very frightened of something.

The only thing that could scare him that much would have to be the scent of a coyote, and that thought made me nervous, too. I scanned the field for any suspicious movements. Then I saw the grass waving in a strange way. Something was definitely moving through it, and I wondered if we should get out of there. Sparky was whining and very eager to go, but I just had to satisfy my curiosity before we left. Because of my years spent working in outdoor education, I was certain that I could handle the situation.

Then I saw the pointed nose and a pair of beady, black eyes peering warily out of the tall grass. Oh, my word! It was a skunk! Its black and white plume was waving high above its head.

Obviously, it didn't smell us, since we were downwind, so it stepped daintily onto the trail, all the while sniffing the air for any sign of danger. I wondered if I should listen to my dog and get going, just in case the wind changed.

Then, it turned back towards the grass, and out came three little pups, one after another in a perfectly straight line.

Sparky eyed them nervously, but seemed to know instinctively to keep his distance. This was definitely not one of those black squirrels he loved to chase.

Then, after one more careful sniff of the air, mother skunk toddled off with her babies close behind. Once they reached the other side of the trail, she quickly led them into the safety of the woods.

I decided that we'd had enough of an adventure for one day, so we headed for home. And by the speed Sparky took off down the trail ahead of me, he evidently thought that it was a wise choice. In retrospect, Sparky probably showed more wisdom than his owner.

All too often, we get a little warning about a possible danger to our spirit, perhaps a nudge from the Holy Spirit or a suggestion from a friend to avoid a certain place, certain people, or a certain situation which might lead to problems. But because of overconfidence or pride in our ability to make right choices, we ignore the words of wisdom. When we are tempted to ignore such a warning, we would do well to consider it carefully and remember these words of wisdom:

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. (NLT)

Prayer: Lord, help us to be aware of the traps that our enemy, the devil, sets in our paths. Keep our minds tuned to Your warnings, and help us to use wisdom in all the choices we make this day. Amen.

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