The Big Idea: Temptation is not a sin. Getting sucked in to it is. Turn to Jesus who sympathises with our weaknesses and helps us.
It's Tempting!
"I would never be tempted to steal," a friend told
me. "I don't understand how that can tempt people. It's not an issue for
me."
We all have our weak spots. Sometimes it is hard to see our
own weakness and areas of temptation. For those of which we are aware, we are often
too embarrassed to admit. My area of temptation might look silly to you. Or
you might be shocked. We are wired so differently from each other. And cultural
understandings of weakness and perception of sins differ.
Ouch. It took a long time to earn back her trust.
No matter how long you have walked with God, there are things that will tempt you. And there are times you will fall into it and need to find a way out. Of course we go to the Lord Jesus as ask Him to forgive us of the sin (I John 1:9). But there are often consequences that effect others, our relationship with God and even our perception of ourselves.
While Satan does not know us intimately
like God our Creator does, the devil can see how we live our life and our life
responses. He seems to know exactly how to push our buttons. He sees our
weaknesses, our fatigue or our insecurities and pounces on us like a lion after
his prey.
Stay
alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a
roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8.
TEMPTATION
IS NOT SIN
Did you know temptation is not a sin? Jesus was tempted by
the devil after he fasted 40 days in the wilderness, but did not sin. Temptation is not the
sin. Giving in to it is. Giving in to sin often starts small. Then as it
becomes more familiar to us and as it seems to have done harmless damage, it
grows and becomes harder and harder to resist.
Sometimes giving in to temptation is a really big deal; for
instance, a spiritual leader who gives in to adultery. Sin is sin, of course.
All sin sets us apart from a right relationship with God. But certainly some
sins have bigger consequences than others and deeply hurt other people along
the way. Some raise such serious concern in people's minds, they write off our
faith completely. The cost is high. Very high.
We all have temptations. Fighting it off gets tiresome.
We can survive temptation by using scripture. Know it. Use
it.
Jesus had forty days alone in the wilderness followed by what
is called the Temptation of Christ. He used Scripture to counter every
temptation Satan threw at Him. In fact Satan himself twisted Scripture to
attack Jesus. Jesus didn't stand for it even one minute. You can examine the
story yourself in Luke 4:1-13.
If Jesus used Scripture (the Word of God) to resist the
Tempter, we can too. In fact, we must! It is our best weapon.
Jesus was fully God and fully human at the same time, as He
walked the earth. And because of that human life experience, in a body just
like ours, He is able to understand our temptations and help us overcome them.
The temptations in your life are no different from
what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation
to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out
so that you can endure. I Corinthians 10:13
This is the first of three blog posts on using Scripture to combat temptation. Next week check out the post about common danger zones and how to avoid them!
Up Next: Danger Ahead
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Reflect:
1. How aware are you of your areas of temptation? Where have you found yourself caught short and struggling?
2. Look at the two Bible verses above, 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Hebrews 4:15-16. Does it comfort you to know that God understands the pressure of human temptations? Might that make you more inclined to ask Him to help you overcome it?
3. Form a simple prayer using these verses, asking for mercy and grace, or for Him to help you find a way out of temptation. Consider using this when you find yourself in the midst of temptation.
