Robert Ozment opened his book, “but God can,” warning his readers about the universal danger of temptation, writing: Temptation is a traveling companion of every person who walks down the corridor of life. It has no regard for custom, race, or heritage. It cuddles up to the rich and the poor.

“It stands beside the intellectual giant as well as the illiterate; it travels with those who ride in royal coaches, and walks with the peasants. It snuggles up to the saint and grabs the hand of the avowed sinner. Temptation slights no race, it skips no generation. Wherever you find human life, you may be sure temptation is near.”

Since no one is immune to temptation’s alluring call, we need to stay alert during times when we’re more threatened by its power; to seasons when we’re most likely to yield to its faithless reasoning.

Consider the temptations of the holiday season:

SPENDING TOO MUCH

We’re all stewards of the money we earn and are responsible for the good we can do with it. People of faith are always under the observation of those we owe and those we know as to whether or not we pay our bills on time; whether we practice what we preach. In addition, we have the privilege of giving part of our income to spread the message of God’s love at home and abroad.

When we over-spend, something has to give and often it’s our giving, robbing us of the joy of sharing what we have with those in need or enlarging the life-changing outreach of our church. God is not enriched by our giving, but we are impoverished by our withholding. A gravestone in an old English cemetery said it well: “What I spent, I had. What I saved, I lost. What I gave, I have.”

EATING TOO MUCH

One of the most serious health issues of our time is being overweight. And while a number of factors can cause this life-threatening condition, the most likely are simply eating too much and exercising too little.

Interestingly, during the temptation of Jesus, the first test involved food (Matthew 4). Having fasted for forty days, the challenge of the tempter for Him to turn stones into bread must have been difficult to resist, but every dieter can draw strength from His discipline under those conditions and find faith to overcome.

COMPLAINING TOO MUCH

Christmas is getting nearer by the moment and you’re not merry. In your view, Christmas doesn’t measure up to those you remember. You’e tempted to just skip the season this year. But, instead of longing for the return of Christmases past, why not focus on the positive things happening now?

Carols continue their faith building work, thousands of hungry people are fed and efforts are made to provide homes for those who, like the One born in a stable, have no bedroom of their own. Best of all, the Biblical message of Christmas is unchanged and every temptation is limited to what we can overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Editor’s note: Roger Campbell was an author, a broadcaster and columnist who was a pastor for 22 years. A new book containing over one hundred of his best columns, “Everywhere You Go There’s a Zacchaeus Up a Tree,” is now available at your local or online bookseller. Contact us at rcministry@ameritech.net. This column appeared previously in The Mining Journal.