January 29
Guarding
Against Sin
“Keep me from committing sins I want to commit. Don’t let them rule over me. Then I will be blameless. I will not be guilty of any great sin.”
Psalm 19:13 (NIrV)
Jordan sat on the edge of his bed, phone in hand, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. His girlfriend, Maria, had just left for work, as she did every morning, but instead of using the time productively, he found himself falling into an old habit he thought he had left behind.
Scrolling through his favorite adult apps, he hesitated for a moment before clicking on a familiar site. Each time he indulged, he told himself it would be the last, but that promise always broke under the visual temptation. He felt trapped, knowing Maria deserved better than his secrecy, and worse, he felt distant from God.
That evening, as Maria spoke excitedly about her day, Jordan barely listened. His mind was consumed with shame. How could he be the man she deserved if he kept falling into this cycle? That night, as she slept peacefully beside him, Jordan slipped out of bed and sat in the dim light of the living room.
He picked up his Bible, a gift from Maria on their one-year anniversary. Flipping through its pages, he landed on Psalm 19:13: “Keep me from committing sins I want to commit. Don’t let them rule over me.”
The words hit him like a revelation. He whispered a prayer: “God, I can’t fight this alone. Please help me. I don’t want this to control me anymore.”
The next day, Jordan opened up to Maria. It was one of the hardest conversations he’d ever had, but he knew honesty was the first step toward healing. Together, they prayed for strength, and Maria encouraged him to seek support through a men’s group at their church.
With time, prayer, and accountability, Jordan began to experience freedom. The pull of his old habits weakened as he learned to surrender his struggles to God daily. He realized that while sin tries to rule over us, God offers a path to true freedom.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for loving us even in our weakest moments.
Like Jordan, we often find ourselves trapped by sin, but You remind us that we can be free through Your strength.
Help us to resist temptation and give us the courage to bring our struggles to You.
Guide us to seek help and accountability when needed, trusting in Your grace to transform our hearts.
May we live blamelessly, free from the sins that seek to rule over us.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
