I was sorry to hear in the news that Robin Williams is struggling with alcohol addiction but happy to hear he’s put himself in a rehab program. The report said that this is an ongoing problem for him and that he wants to be proactive and get help early – for the sake of his family. I applaud that attitude.

Once we have wrestled with a particular sin, a shadow of it often seems to sit in the background of our soul waiting to see if it might stand a chance to rise again. If we fell once, maybe we will be inclined to fall again. Of course the devil is observing like a hawk hoping to egg it along.

Whatever those inherent weaknesses that each of us suffer; we should not be discouraged and we should not feel like a failure that they still linger. That’s just the way it is – the battleground of life. How much stronger we are each day we do NOT fall back. How much we should applaud God’s grace for each day of success.

But here’s the thing: take nothing for granted. Presumption is the first blush of deception. Flirting with the weakness is like an activation button. Give it an inch and it will most definitely take a mile. Robin Williams has found that out as he has “suddenly” found himself drinking again. Believe me, something came before “suddenly.”

Be wary of any old entanglements you have had with sin but be confident that you do not ever have to be enmeshed again as you STAND GUARD.