Six Inches for Jesus

"Just remember, six inches for Jesus!"

That saying has lasted in my mind since first hearing it during Michael's 16th birthday party from his sister, Danielle, a young women that is wish beyond her 17 years! She was explaining that some of her dating friends seemed to be glued to the hips and to help avoid unnecessary temptation, she reminds them to remain six inches away from one another, six inches for Jesus in order to stay spiritually and physically pure until marriage.

Wise advice indeed and one I have quoted more than once to my daughter who has just begun to date her first boyfriend and both of them wishing to stay pure until marriage. But temptation is hard at times. Is six inches really enough?

But where does temptation even come from?

Satan wants to undermine our faith by using various deceptive schemes to entice us to sin, sowing within us the seeds of doubt, unbelief and rebellion. Two of his very powerful temptations were those of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, in which he achieved his purpose, and of Jesus in the wilderness, in which he failed. These two instances show that Satan's favorite device is to tamper with the word of God.

The Bible encourages Christians to stand firm in the faith and to watch out for temptation. God promises to help us resist temptation, and He assures us that He will not allow temptation beyond what we can endure. As our compassionate and sympathetic high priest, Jesus, who has experienced human temptation, is ready to bring our prayers for strength in times of temptation before the Father.

Temptation must not be confused with God's testing of our faith as a way of strengthening it, for God never entices us to sin against Him. When faced with confusion of what to do, consider what God's Word says about anything. His Word is 100% reliable about any decision that goes against what He has commanded.

Remember our thought life will be the first the enemy will attempt to attack. He will try and convince us that there is no harm in simply talking to that "friend" at work of the opposite sex about the problems you are facing in your marriage, that there is nothing the Bible teaches that you can't go into a bar and have a few drinks as long as you stay in control, or visit that website just to check things out. But remember, it's to gain a foothold in your life, because our thoughts lead us to compromising actions that will eventually get us into hot water and cause us to get into more trouble than ever before.

Joseph went faced with Potipher's wife tempting him in the palace, ran so fast, he left his cloak behind. That is precisely what we need to do in order to walk along the path God has laid out before us so perfectly. It is a war we must wage daily and one we must never take for granted thinking we are above being tempted. That is just where the enemy would love for you to keep thinking those thoughts.

So back to the original question to keep you from your temptation, is six inches for Jesus enough? It might be, but if it isn't do WHATEVER it takes to distance yourself from that temptation. Don't visit a bar if alcohol is too tempting. Don't browse the internet if websites are too tempting, if someone you work with is your temptation, transfer to another position or department and if necessary, quit and find a different job. The point is wherever you have to go to stay on God's path, GO, RUN!!!

For some six inches isn't enough, but moving into a different city or state might be, but the simple truth the lies behind the saying, "Six inches for Jesus!" certainly can inspire us to remain diligent when facing whatever temptations the enemy tries to send our way.

Thanks to Danielle Vega for my inspiration for this post!!!

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me," For God cannot be tempted by evil, not does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, give birth to sin. Don't be deceived dear brothers." ~ James 1: 13-16