As a new week begins our current devotional is coming to a close which means tomorrow the search will begin. After searching for a devotional to kick off six days back, searching in the bible.com site for “dad” and scrolling through the many devotionals I have completed then this one just popped out from the scrolling, and here we go. Today’s devotional shares, “Most sin can be traced to one of these seven sins. So, know them. Fight them in your home. Fight them in your heart. Be the example that maybe you didn’t have growing up. You can learn to overcome the sin that’s holding you back.” So let’s take the next week to learn to be ready and prepared to fight them in our homes and hearts!
Scriptures for today’s devotional:
‘I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil.’
Psalms 101:3-4
‘ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ‘
Matthew 5:27-28
‘Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ‘
1 John 2:15-16
No matter what is in front of you, God’s Word is ready and available to speak life, truth, wisdom, and direction to you. So let’s turn to God’s Word as we prepare for today and listen to what He has to say! Let’s be still and trust God, seeking wisdom that we know He will provide generously and without finding fault! Let’s allow God’s Word to be our instruction manual for life!
Let’s be the dads who will not look with approval on anything that is vile! Let’s be the dads who hate what faithless people do against the will of God! Let’s be the dads who will have no part in what faithless people do against the will of God! Let’s be the dads who stay far from the perverse hearts of people! Let’s be the dads who will have nothing to do with what is evil!
Let’s be the dads who won’t commit adultery according to God’s law! Let’s be the dads who will take it one level higher according to the calling of Jesus and won’t look at a woman lustfully because we know that it would mean that we had already committed adultery with her in his heart!
Let’s be the dads who are focused on God and loving God’s purposes, God’s plans, and God’s will! Let’s be the dads who do not love the world or anything in the world because we know that if anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them! Let’s be the dads who desire the purposes, plans, and will of God rather than the purposes, plans, and will of the world because we know that everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are contrary to God! Let’s be the dads who look to live our lives without lust and humbly without pride!
Today’s devotional has been provided by Manhood Journey.
Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me: (check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)
For more information, please visit https://www.manhoodjourney.org/.
About the author of the devotional we are reviewing: Eric Ballard. Eric is a youth and college pastor in Texas where he lives with his beautiful wife and two daughters. He’s the author of several books including a Field Guide for Manhood Journey called Keeping Score.
If you found this reading plan helpful, find the full book 7 Sins of a Disengaged Dad. You’ll learn to eliminate these sins from your life with practical tips you can use as a busy dad.
Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“Lust“
- Let’s be the dads who want the good from God’s perfect plan, perfect plan, and perfect purpose!
- Let’s be the dads who realize that God created sex for good and not for email, for purity not for impurity, as something intimate between a married couple, between a husband and a wife!
- Let’s be the dads who realize how much we can mess it up, similar to greed and gluttony, where lust shows up as an “appetite for the forbidden“!
- Let’s be the dads who realize how lust “hurts our relationships with our wives, our family, and our God“!
- Let’s be the dads who don’t allow lust to make us look at people as objects for the sole purpose of gratifying our pleasures but rather for the incredible creation of God they are!
- Let’s be the dads who are seeking God and pursuing His will rather than allowing “our sex-saturated society” to cause us to fall into the temptations of lust that can seem almost unavoidable!
- Let’s be the dads who look to protect the things we allow into our hearts and minds, like through our eyes and watching TV shows, commercials, magazines, billboards, Twitter, Instagram, and more!
- Let’s be the dads who prepare ourselves to resist the temptations of lust that bombard us from every direction!
- Let’s be the dads who prepare ourselves to resist the temptations by realizing the way(s) out of lust that bombard us from every direction!
- Let’s be the dads who realize that sex has a proper place and it is within marriage!
- Let’s be the dads who realize that the only proper place for sex is within marriage!
- Let’s be the dads who realize that scripture shows us how marriage is the only right place for sex!
- Let’s be the dads who choose to live honoring lives to God by keeping sex within the bonds of marriage!
- Let’s be the dads who choose to live lives honoring our wives by keeping sex within the bonds of marriage!
- Let’s be the dads who choose to live lives that demonstrate God’s love and relationships with people by the way we live our marriages!
- Let’s be the dads who choose to live lives that emulate the relationship of Jesus and the church, the bridegroom and bride!
- Let’s be the dads who love our wives like Jesus loves the church!
- Let’s be the dads who through our marriage both show our kids a good example but also show the world God’s love in action!
- Let’s be the dads who realize that “our marriages are a living, breathing embodiment of the gospel“!
- Let’s be the dads who look to avoid robbing others of a chance to see God by resisting and avoiding lust that would stain our marital relationships!
- Today’s devotional provides us with ways to be prepared and how to respond when lust (as we mentioned earlier that is lurking around every corner) shows up:
- “Run away. Sometimes we foolishly try to tempt temptation. Creeping as close to the line of sin without actually crossing over. This is a deadly game. The best thing we can do is follow the example of Joseph. When the temptation of lust tries cornering us, run. Don’t think, just run.“
- “Run to God. Running away from lust is a good start but what we run toward is equally important. The more you know God, the less you will desire sin. The less you know God, the more you will desire sin. Running to God will ultimately mean worship. “
- “Let’s be honest, the sin of lust doesn’t really sneak up on us. We must be on guard. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23). As we put off the sin of lust, let’s learn to guard our hearts. Click here for applicable ways of guarding your heart.”
- Today’s devotional closes with this prayer:
- Today’s devotional closes with this question to reflect upon:
