Tempted

I know temptation is hard to deal with. I think, in part, it’s because it has so much variety.

Sometimes it’s loud and brash. “Come on!” it calls. “It’ll be fun! Everyone’s doing it!” Other times it’s quiet and seductive. “Just this once,” it whispers. “No one will know. You know you want to.” On occasion it’s proud and rebellious. “Who says you can’t?” it questions. “It’s your life. Do what you want with it.” And the next time it’s subtle and disarming. “Is that really what God meant?” it asks. “Surely that’s not what he was forbidding. That makes no sense.”

Resisting is tough when the tricks are so…tricky. But listen. You have help. You are not alone in this fight. God is your shield and strength. He says so in his word.

Take a look at what Paul has to say in 1 Corinthians 10. Verse 13 offers encouragement from beginning to end. “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV)

What do we learn about temptation here?

First, Paul says, “We’re all in this together.” We’re all tempted in the same ways. The struggle against sin you’re dealing with is nothing new. In the past, others have dealt with it and won. Right now, your brothers in Christ, your sisters, are fighting the same battle. No temptation you face is unique to you. Look at the Bible. You’ll find your heroes tempted in the same ways you are. Listen to your friends. You can relate to their battles.

Every human being is tempted. Even Jesus, when he walked this earth as a man, was tempted. Look at what the writer of Hebrews says about our savior and friend.

Hebrews 2:18, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (NIV)

Hebrews 4:14-16, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (NIV)

Jesus knows. He understands. He sympathizes. And he is faithful. That’s what the next part of verse 13 says. Read it again. God is faithful. And he shows it in this way. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Notice the emphatic verbs. He WILL NOT allow Satan to push you too far. Friends, I don’t know of many truths more reassuring than this one. God knows what you can bear. Why? Because Jesus has been tempted. He’s telling the Father when enough is enough. That’s the truth. Celebrate it every day. Remember it when the pressure’s on.

Not only does God know our limits, he provides an escape. That’s his promise to every believer. The devil cannot tempt you in anyway that God hasn't already thought of and planned for.

Sexual temptation. He has an evacuation route planned and ready for use. Enticement to hate. He’s made an escape hatch for that, too. Pressure to conform to the world’s standards. God has contingency plans for quick extrication of his children in emergency situations.

When the heat is on, start looking around. There’s a door marked exit close at hand. Dive through it when it appears.

To receive my once or twice weekly message via email and join the "webmessage" discussion group, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages (there are well over 100) are available at www.associate.com/groups/webmessage.