“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13 (MSG)
In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul offers Christ followers three encouraging points regarding temptation.
- Don’t feel like you’re being singled out. Everyone deals with temptation on a daily basis.
- There are people who resist temptation. If they can do it, you can too.
- Any temptation can be resisted through God’s help and guidance, no matter how difficult it may seem at the time.
Jesus teaches us how to defeat temptation.
When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, he did so in complete humanity. As Paul declares in Philippians 2:6, “Who, being in very nature God, [Jesus] did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.” Jesus’ endured those 40 days of trial and testing as fully-man.
Matthew provides the account in chapter four, with three separate trials of testing Jesus encountered from Satan. And in each of those tests, he responded to the enemy with Scripture.
“It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. – Deut: 8:3
“It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” – Deut: 6:16
“For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” – Deut: 6:13
So right from the very start of his ministry, Jesus teaches us that prayer and God’s Word written in our hearts help us avoid yielding to temptation.
The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and discernment.
We read in Proverbs 9:10-11:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.” – Proverbs 9:10-11
The culture we live in today doesn’t fear God, they mock Him. And because of their lack of fear, they have no wisdom. But for those of us who do fear the Lord, He gives us wisdom. And yet, having all the wisdom in the world won’t matter if we refuse to apply it. As Christ followers, we are called to engage the culture we live in and proclaim the Gospel Truth with love and compassion, but without becoming part of the culture.
Think about what you think about. – Craig Groeschel
Ever watch a professional golf tournament on television? If so, you’ll notice that every golfer has a pre-shot routine. This is a mental exercise where he clears his mind of all negative thoughts and distractions, and places all of his concentration and focus on executing his golf swing exactly the way he pictures it in his mind. In other words, he doesn’t allow his negative thoughts take his mind captive. He takes his thoughts captive to make them obedient to the picture he has in his mind.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5
Going back to the golfer analogy: although there’s a pond to the left of his target, his focus isn’t on avoiding the water. Because if his focus is avoiding the pond, his ball could still end up avoiding the water but still completely missing his target. His focus is on his target. His target is true. His target is right. His target is pure, and lovely, and excellent. What he thinks about before hitting his shot matters.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8
And as it relates to temptation, what we think about matters.
“God has defeated Satan through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through this overwhelming victory, God has also empowered you to overcome any temptation to sin and has provided sufficient resources for you to respond biblically to any problem of life. By relying on God’s power and being obedient to His Word, you can be an overcomer in any situation.”
– John C. Broger, American Christian Missionary
Today’s prayer:
Lord, as we begin this day, remind us that we are never alone in our battles, and that we can rely completely on your faithfulness and strength. When we find ourselves wandering into temptation, let us seek your guidance and wisdom, for you will lead us through any challenge that confronts us today. Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 