Jimmy was saving up for his mother's birthday.  He had seen the perfect gift in the local florist shop.  He opened his money box and counted the money for the umpteenth time.  There was nearly enough and with tomorrow's pocket money he would have plenty.   He was determined not to do anything bad, as he only received his pocket money when he had been a good boy.

As he fingered the money, he wondered if there would be enough for an ice-cream.  It was a terrible struggle because he so loved ice-creams.  Any flavour and the more the merrier!  His mouth watered as he tried to decide what flavour he could buy.  Every time he heard the chimes of the brightly coloured ice-cream van coming down his street, he would normally rush outside to buy a big delicious treat.  He just couldn't resist the temptation each week.   But, now there was Mom's present to be brought!  So he put his money away and climbed into bed.

As he was saying his prayers, his mother tiptoed into his bedroom to tuck him into bed.  She caught the end of his prayer:  "And, please God, help me run away when the van comes tomorrow!"  For Jimmy, the only way to beat temptation was to run away from the ice-cream van.  In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul warns us:

"Even if you think you can stand up to temptation,
be careful not to fall."

Sometimes it's not easy to say "No!" when you are tempted to do wrong and bad things.  And what do you do when you are tempted to say or do something that you know is wrong?  In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul tells us:

"But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much,
and He will show you how to escape from your temptations.”

Do you think you can stand up to temptation?  We must do our part, but always pray that God will help you to say, "NO!!"  And He will.  2 Timothy 2:22, Paul advises us to:

"Run from temptations that capture young people
and always do the right thing."

Paul meant that we should keep away from the evil desires of childhood that might cause us to yield to sin because of their strong appeal.   That's good advice that we should listen to.  Make sure you don't go to places you know to be wrong, and avoid people who will tempt you to do wrong.

Be sure to run from the ice-cream van!  Jimmy did and he was happy as he ran home with Mom's present in his arms.  He just couldn't wait to give it to her!

God bless!