There once was a woman named Soul who was walking in a garden. She was humming a real sweet tune for she was saved and had the joy of the Lord. But she was a "baby Christian". As she was walking a handsome and charming man came out from behind a tree. Soul was very startled. She said, "Hello, I'm Soul, what is your name?"

He replied, "I am Temptation, I have what you want."

"What do I want?" replied Soul.

"You want to do all things which are of the flesh," said Temptation.

Soul replied, "All right then, lead me."

So she and Temptation went off and fulfilled the desires of the flesh. When Soul returned to the garden, she met a woman named Condemnation. Condemnation said, "Hey, I see you have met my friend, Temptation."

Soul said, "Yes, who are you?"

"I am Condemnation, I come after Temptation... we work hand-in-hand. And for the time that you have spent with Temptation you now have a debt that you must repay."

Then Condemnation jumped on Soul's back and began to beat her. She hit her in the face and kicked her when she was down. This went on for several days. On about the third day a man named Mercy came running and said, "I command you, Condemnation, to stop beating Soul."

Condemnation snickered, "Make me."

So Mercy unsheathed his sword and cut Condemnation in two. As Soul watched in astonished pain, she was overwhelmed by the power of, Mercy. Mercy walked up to Soul and said, "I have dealt with Condemnation before. She should not show up around you anymore."

Soul replied, "How can I ever thank you?"

"Well," replied Mercy, "I was sent here by God, and He told me to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. His name is Redemption."

Redemption walked up and said, "Hello, Soul, I see that you are not doing well."

Soul replied, "Not until Mercy came along. It is a pleasure to meet you Redemption."

"Well", said Redemption, "I am glad to meet you ... but are you ready to accept me?"

"What do you mean?" asked Soul.

Redemption said, "Well, when you accepted Jesus and decided to walk with Him, you chose to accept the things of Him and His love. I am a part of Jesus' love. I help you feel forgiven. You will never have to deal with Condemnation again. Temptation may come around, but I have someone I would like for you to meet that can help you with that. Her name is Grace."

Grace walked up to Soul and said, "Hello Soul, I have been waiting for you. As a matter of fact all three of us have been waiting to meet you. I will help take you out of the way of Temptation whenever he comes around. There is one more person we want you to meet... her name is Faith."

"Hi, Soul, I am Faith, and I will help you stay strong and keep your beliefs strong," said Faith.

Soul began to cry. When she began to cry, Redemption said, "It's going to be ok... this is what we are here for, Soul. Jesus gives you his Mercy to redeem you, and keeps you saved by Grace through Faith. Jesus loves you, Soul."

Soul said, "And I love you Jesus."

- Author Unknown

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*Bumper sticker: "Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself."

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Instant Quotation Dictionary_, p. 153."Good habits result from resisting temptation."

- Unknown

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Martin Luther on temptation:

"We aren't able to stop birds from flying around our heads but we are able to stop them from building nests in our hair."

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The problem with opportunity is that it only knocks, while temptation kicks in the door.

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A little boy was once forbidden by his mother to go swimming, but she permitted him to go out for a walk. When he came back, it was quite evident that he had disobeyed her and had gone in the water. When asked why, the little fellow answered,

"Well, Mother, I happened to have my swimming trunks with me, so I decided to go in."