Devotional Gems by Jolene
Created for Bible Study for Kids
Haste
Genesis 25:36-41, 1 Timothy 1:5
By J.D. Griffith
When does the devil have the best opportunity to successfully tempt a person
to sin? When do our consciences have the hardest job resisting forbidden
attractions? Or even choosing between options. Kids are not immune to the
devil's antics.
Consider how Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. The birthright was
a BIG DEAL 5,000 years ago. Holding the birthright gave that person the
biggest share of the father’s inheritance. It made him the head of the
family, with all power and authority. Esau bargained it away because he was
hungry. Jacob must have laughed to himself. SURE, you can have a bowl of my
soup in exchange for your birthright! Imagine Jacob’s delight. He must have
thought, I would have given him a bowl of soup regardless; he’s my brother.
Did you ever hear someone say they laughed all the way to the bank? That’s
Jacob. What did you think when you heard this story from the Bible?
Because Easu was hungry, he gave away his future for a bowl of soup. How did
he even consider making this deal with his brother? Before we do anything
this foolish, here is a way to avoid falling into the trap. This as easy as
"stop, look, and listen" before crossing a street.
The acronym HALT stands for Hunger, Anger, Lonely, Tired. When you are too
any of one of these things, your judgment is impaired. This leads you to
make hasty, bad choices. Your conscience is hungry, angry, lonely, and tired
too. In this state, it can’t help you made wise decisions.
We are too weak when we allow ourselves to get to any extreme in any of
these conditions. This opens the door for Satan to tempt us into making
unwise judgments—based on what we need at the moment. He strikes when we are
at our physical or emotional limit. This is what it means to have our backs
against the wall—nowhere to go.
Our defense is to recognize when this is happening, and HALT Satan in his
tracks. Eat, sleep, cool down, find someone to hug. This is the believer’s
best way to protect the conscience and refrain from temptation that is too
attractive to resist. Short-term answers are not solutions. Keep in mind
that Satan’s plans carry a high price in the long run.
Sometimes it helps to think before making a decision. Such as, Will I be
pleased tomorrow with what I’m choosing today? And HALT the devil in his
tracks.
