Are You Tempted To Read This?

Mae West once said, "I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it," and Oscar Wilde joked, "I can resist anything except temptation." How true that is for most of us, too. Temptation is something we all face, no matter how long we have been following Christ. We can't avoid it, but we can have victory over it.

Temptation is Satan's way of trying to sabotage our relationship with God. Satan is the ultimate tempter. We see it when Adam and Eve were tempted in the Garden, and we see it when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness at the end of his 40-day fast. We all face attacks from Satan.

We know temptation comes from Satan, not from God. James 1:13 says God does not tempt man.

In Ephesians 6:12, it says our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers not of this world.

The Bible says the best way to resist temptation is to flee from it. Yet, we all fail from time to time.... because we fail to FLEE. It is not the end of the world when we fail, but it is dangerous to persist in our sin. James 1:15 says that sin "when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." So when we fail, we should be quick to repent, and then we must "go and sin no more."

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16 that only by "walking in the spirit can we keep from fulfilling the lust of the flesh."

Prayer is also important during times of temptation. Jesus faced his greatest hour of temptation just before his death in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke tells us that as Jesus prayed in agony his sweat was like drops of blood. During his greatest hour of temptation, Jesus prayed in earnest.

The New Living Translation of 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it."

Temptation is a given, so don't be surprised by it. Be prepared for it. When you face temptation, look for the way out that God has promised and then run as fast as you can.