Good morning on this Saturday, the 10th of March. Spring is right around the corner. We are to turn our clocks forward one hour tonight/early tomorrow and that is usually a sign that winter is ending. Soon buds will be on the trees and grass will be greening up. This is the ideal time of the year to put pre-emergence weed  killers down where needed. In fact there is a narrowing window of opportunity to get it in place because once the weeds emerge, the pre-emergence preventer will no longer be effective. There is a close preventive parallel with temptation in a person's life. The best time to deal with temptation is pre-emergence or before it unfolds. In other words - avoid the temptation if possible. There is an old and accurate saying, "The best way to avoid the sin is to avoid the temptation." "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is also a tried and true adage. Why needlessly put yourself to the test in harm's way if you can avoid the temptation and not risk the consequences. When I speak to young people I suggest that they not be in some isolated spot in a parked car where temptation and raging hormones can easily compromise their virtue. When I speak to alcoholics I suggest they avoid all situations where alcohol is available to prevent being tempted. When I speak to dieters I suggest that they avoid having foods not on their diet around the house to tempt them. If you love cookies and sweets and have a tough time entering your kitchen without indulging (or most likely overindulging) in them, keep them out of your house to avoid the temptation of the, "I'll have just one" syndrome. If you are sorely tempted with spending, get rid of your credit cards to remove the temptation of "whipping out the plastic" and carelessly spending money on unneeded items. Also avoid going to the places where the sins of Achan in the book of Joshua chapter seven can entice you (it says he saw, he coveted (strongly desired) and then he took. Isn't that the usual process, we see it, we want it, and then we take it. It is certainly good to resist temptation but it is even wiser to avoid it if possible.
Tomorrow's sermon is from Ephesians 2:11-22.
I hope you can be there to hear it.
Mel Brown