This morning I listened to Fr. Mike Schmitz’s homily for today’s Mass readings. It included the account of when Jesus went into the wilderness, fasted for 40 days and was then tempted by the devil. From Jesus’ example, Fr. Mike gave realistic, sound advice for all of us when we find ourselves being tempted. He said first of all, we should expect it. We should not be surprised when we are going along just fine and seemingly out of nowhere we find ourselves being tempted. This is especially true when we are doing God’s work. The second thing to do is when the trial comes, eliminate the option. This requires discipline. When the thought comes to do something wrong, or you see something that’s going to lead you astray, turn around as fast as you can. The third thing to do is to “rewrite the script”. Many times we fall into the same sin over and over again. We need to be mindful of that and change our habit or behavior that keeps bringing us down the same path. And finally, we should keep scripture in our minds. These guidelines came directly from following Jesus overcoming Satan’s temptations. He teaches us what to do. Thank God!

I Found God today in sound advice on resisting temptation.