Daily devotional, Feb 29, 2024 Controlled breathing
"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
2 Timothy 2:22
Consciously breathing in and breathing out is one of the ways to control the nervous system. Studies reveal that when a person breathes in air, enough to expand their belly, hold it in for about 4-5 seconds, and then exhale and do the whole process again for three more times, he gets to lower the stress hormones in his body.
As a person trying his best to follow Jesus, facing the temptation to commit sin could be stressful. Fortunately, the Bible offers encouragement on this topic as the Apostle Paul advised the church to look onto Jesus’ example in facing and successfully resisting temptations:
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15
It can be recalled that prior his public ministry, Jesus Christ went to the dessert to fast for 40 days and 40 nights. There, He was tempted by the devil three times, and he managed to resist it that the Devil fled from His presence:
"Then Jesus said to him, '"Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him." Matthew 4:10-11
In the Old Testament, one of Jacob’s sons, Joseph was tempted too. The wife of his boss, the Pharaoh, tried to lure him into sleeping with her. But every time she tried to entice him or go near him, Joseph would flee. By removing himself from her presence, Joseph had been successful in evading temptation.
Like Joseph, the Apostle Paul tells us that we have the power to turn away from temptation and sinning. In his message to the Corinthian church he assured them that the Lord will not allow us to be tempted into sinning beyond our ability to resist it.
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
1 Corinthians 10:13
The scriptures also provides practical advice on how to not allow ourselves to give in to temptation and not get sucked once again into the habit of committing sins.
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
James 4:7
As mothers, there are a lot of temptations that could be luring us. The temptation to speak the truth in anger and stress when the kids become a handful. The temptation to not submit to our husbands when we think we know better. The temptation to overspend beyond our means. The temptation to engage in gossiping or judging others. And the temptation to covet what others have especially those posted in social media.
When being faced with these, we should follow biblical advice on resisting temptation. The first thing we could try to do is to flee by removing ourselves into the tempting situation. For instance when tempted to yell at the kids, then it will be best to try to go to the comfort room first or another room in the house, do controlled breathing there, and come back a couple of minutes later. Of course we have to make sure first that the kids are safe in the room before we “flee” the area.
Fleeing the temptation to engage in gossiping or unhealthy conversations with peers can also be evaded by removing oneself from the situation. The moment someone starts an unhealthy conversation, we can excuse ourselves from the table and just go back when the topic has been changed.
When tempted to look at social media and waste time consuming digital garbage and possibly coveting what others have in their lives, we should prompt ourselves to have the courage to put our phone down and do something else.
Removing ourselves from the situation could be an effective way to resist temptation but it will be more effective if our fleeing is powered by faith in Christ Jesus. We should use His words to guide us on what to do and set our minds on aligning with His will. As St. Peter the Apostle puts it we have to help ourselves by being watchful and conscious, and always ready to uphold our beliefs.
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
1 Peter 5:8-9
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Matthew 4:1-11, Ephesians 6:10-18, and James 1:13-15to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: What temptations are you facing today, and how can Jesus help you evade them?
Conversation with the Lord:Lord Jesus Christ, help me resist temptations by holding me fast. I want to be able to take refuge in You, in Your words, and in Your power. Help me resist them so I could grow in Christ-likeness, and live a life that honors you. I love you Jesus. Amen.
