I had a coupon for a free small cup of coffee from Krispy Kreme. The coupon was to expire by the end of this month, so I decided to use it today. A free cup of coffee, with no purchase necessary. NICE! I like free? I went a mile out of my way to get this free cup of coffee – it was a good cup!

But I made a mistake. I looked at the donuts. A cup of coffee is good, but even better with a donut. I bought a donut. Just one, not a dozen glazed, just one lemon filled glazed donut. I fell for Krispy Kreme’s cleverly disguised marketing plan. “Get Scott to drive by the store and go to the drive-thru, or come in for a free cup of coffee.  He will see the hot donut sign, the chocolate covered donuts, the crullers, the Bavarian Cream, or lemon filled donuts and he will make a purchase.”

My self-talk at the store went like this:

“Scott, Krispy Kreme was nice to you by giving you this coupon. It would appear ungrateful to just order a coffee.  You might even look to be a cheapskate in the cashier’s eyes.”

“Self, I know what you mean, but they want to give me a free cup of coffee. That is why I have this coupon that says, ‘No purchase necessary.”

“Scott, come on now, you know a donut will taste good with the coffee.”

“Come to think of it, it will . . . wait. Taste has nothing to do with it. I don’t need the calories.”

“Calories? We are having a salad for lunch, you can have one donut! Plus, someone may recognize you as the preacher at Central. Getting just the free cup of coffee might look bad on the church.”

“Oh, so you’re going there, are you? . . . . That sounds reasonable and the calorie thing really makes good sense . . ..”  I turned to the guy at the counter, “I have coupon for a free small cup of coffee, and I would like a lemon-filled donut to go with it.”

Have you ever faced temptation? Not just for a cup of coffee or a donut, but for things you know are against the will of God? Things the Bible would call sin? I know you have. We all face temptation. Even Jesus faced temptation (cf. Mat 4:1-11; Luk 4:1-13). He was able to stay strong and not give in to temptation and we can also be strong. Here are four ways you and I can overcome temptation:

1. Be Aware of Temptation – 1Co 10:12, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
2. Pray for Strength to Overcome – Mat 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
3. Know You CAN Overcome – 1Co 10:13, “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.”
4. Practice Self-Control – 1Co 9:27, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

I could have saved myself a few calories and $1.18 if I would have practiced this this morning!

– Scott