5 Minutes with Jesus is a daily devotional series for people in the midst of real life, whether facing anxiety, grief, questions of purpose, or simply needing encouragement and connection. Hosted by Sheila Walsh, each five-minute episode offers Biblical truth, honest reflections on faith and emotions, and closes with a moment of prayer.
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| Sheila Walsh: Overcoming Temptation | 5 Minutes with | February 18, 2026
- Too often we judge,
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- Measure, condemn, and isolate.
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- The gospel of jesus christ invites us to sit together
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- In our rags under the wide open sky of grace.
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- Does that mean it doesn't matter how we live? no.
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- Absolutely not.
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- What i mean is that condemnation
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- And isolation are the tools of the enemy.
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- Now, the holy spirit, on the other hand, brings
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- Conviction, and conviction draws us closer
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- To christ,
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- Let me ask you a question.
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- How do you handle temptation?
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- And is it a sin to be tempted?
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- Well,
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- Scripture makes it clear that it is not a sin to be tempted.
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- You can read in hebrews chapter four, for
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- We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize
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- With our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
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- In every way, just as we are.
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- Yet he did not sin.
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- Honestly, that's mind blowing to me.
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- No matter what you and i have wrestled with,
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- Jesus did too.
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- But he didn't sin.
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- I think that one of the greatest safeguards
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- When we're dealing with temptation is to be able
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- To tell someone else, to have them pray with, and for us.
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- But you know, that can be a struggle.
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- A some sins have more curb appeal than others.
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- A friend called me one night and told me
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- That she was struggling with online pornography.
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- She had reached out to her small group the previous year,
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- And very carefully and gingerly, she began the discussion
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- By saying that
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- Perhaps women can wrestle with this temptation to,
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- You know, she took that first step, try to invite others
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- Into her process of daily present salvation.
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- But the looks of disgust in the eyes of the other
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- Women in her group just shut her down.
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- And that's when it set in.
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- One more year of lonely hell, shame and bitter condemnation.
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- So grateful she took a risk calling me.
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- I'm grateful for her courage.
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- I told her that her struggle was no different.
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- The things i struggle with
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- Are the self-righteous women who shut her down.
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- I think i think we fear what we don't understand.
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- So we did some research together,
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- And i found a group of women in her area who understand
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- This dark wrestling match with pornography,
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- And community is saving her.
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- She's not alone.
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- I have a girlfriend who's an alcoholic.
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- She's in treatment for the second time.
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- Now, if she could move to a world where no alcohol exists,
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- Then perhaps she could stop being
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- So afraid of falling again.
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- She told me on the phone the other night.
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- I'm a failure.
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- I'm a horrible person.
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- I mean, i understood why she felt that way.
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- She's a mom, and her children have seen her drunk
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- And her struggles have impacted her family.
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- But though
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- She fell and it wasn't pretty, she didn't stop there.
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- Instead, she resolved to get back up.
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- And she's trying again.
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- She's wrestling with the beast that wants to steal her days
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- By offering her what she craves.
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- I wasn't allowed to call her during her six weeks
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- Of inpatient treatment, but i could write to her
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- And i could pray for her daily.
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- I asked jesus to be present with her
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- Through others who understood her struggle
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- To his word and to quiet prayer.
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- She called me when she was on her way home to her family.
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- She felt a little shaky and vulnerable, but tasting hope.
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- Her greatest fear, she said, would be to fall again
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- After believing she was healed.
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- And i told her, i believe it's possible
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- To be healed and to fall again.
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- But grace doesn't come with a sell by date.
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- I reminded her of paul's promise,
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- And i am certain that god, who began the good work within
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- You, will continue his work until it's finally finished.
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- On the day when christ jesus returns,
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- You can find that philippians chapter one verse six.
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- If we are still on this earth, then the work is not finished.
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- God has committed to work with us in that journey
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- Until christ returns.
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- Oh gosh, how i
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- Wish for a greater understanding of this in the body of christ.
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- Too often we judge, measure,
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- Condemn, and isolate.
- 00:04:49.612 --> 00:04:52.815
- The gospel of jesus christ invites us to sit together
- 00:04:52.815 --> 00:04:57.286
- In our rags under the wide open sky of grace.
- 00:04:57.286 --> 00:05:02.158
- Does that mean it doesn't matter how we live? no.
- 00:05:02.158 --> 00:05:05.161
- Absolutely not.
- 00:05:05.161 --> 00:05:06.295
- What i mean is that condemnation
- 00:05:06.295 --> 00:05:09.031
- And isolation are the tools of the enemy.
- 00:05:09.031 --> 00:05:12.635
- Now, the holy spirit, on the other hand, brings
- 00:05:12.635 --> 00:05:15.004
- Conviction, and conviction draws us closer to christ, where
- 00:05:15.004 --> 00:05:20.243
- Condemnation pushes us just way back into the darkness.
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- Although we, as the church at times have had little grace
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- For certain struggles, that is why jesus came.
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- He came to save us for eternity.
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- Yes, but he also came to save us today.
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- Right now,
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- I don't know what you're struggling with today,
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- But i know this.
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- You are not alone.
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- And even more, you are loved.
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- You don't have to keep secrets or believe lies.
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- Years ago, i interviewed singer songwriter rich mullins
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- And he quoted something
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- Our mutual friend brendan manning had said to him,
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- When i get home, i believe that
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- Perhaps christ will look me in the face and say,
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- Did you believe that i loved you?
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- Did you really believe it?
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- Because if you believe that
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- Changes everything.
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- Let me pray for you,
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- Lord, sometimes in this world is so hard to grasp onto that
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- Because we see things in ourself that we don't like
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- And those things that other people judge about us.
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- And we make promises to you,
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- And then we fall flat in our face again.
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- What i want to
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- Thank you that grace does not come with a sell by date.
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- Thank you that you welcome us with open arms.
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- And that the more we fall down, the faster we should run home.
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- I pray for anyone right
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- Now, lord, who feels condemned by the enemy.
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- Instead of that condemnation which would push them far away
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- From your presence,
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- There would be
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- That beautiful conviction of the holy spirit who says,
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- Welcome home.
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- Come on in. come as you are.
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- Thank you, lord, that we get to come as we are in jesus name.
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- Amen.
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