I have a photo of Bill Clinton attached to my board next to my computer. He’s sitting in a chair, legs crossed, with a strong light shining on the right side of his face. The left side of his face is in complete darkness. I wonder if he knows just how accurately that photo portrays his character. In a betrayal stunning in its stupidity, he showed the world what an unknown "dark side" can lead to when he defamed the American presidency.
But, are we any different? Don’t we too, have dark sides? The challenge of those dark parts of ourselves is to know and manage them. I wonder if Mr. Clinton had ever acknowledged his sexual weaknesses to himself. When we do not acknowledge to ourselves our particular proclivities to sin, we are sitting targets for the "flaming darts of the evil one." We manage our weaknesses by taking seriously what our particular temptations are and keeping ourselves out of certain situations. Some of us need to unplug the internet. Others of us need to stop buying ice cream and candy. Many of us need to cut up credit cards. There’s nothing easy here, but we either live in the light or we are blindsided by our darkness.
Jesus, please convict us, in your kind, firm way, of those ways we lead ourselves into temptation. Only you can deliver us from evil.