TEMPTATION

1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 “THERE HATH NO TEMPTATION TAKEN YOU BUT SUCH AS IS COMMON TO MAN: BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL, WHO WILL NOT SUFFER YOU TO BE TEMPTED ABOVE THAT YEA ARE ABLE; BUT WILL WITH THE TEMPTATION ALSO MAKE A WAY TO ESCAPE, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO BEAR IT.” (KJV, NASU, NASB)
     “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And 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.” (NIV)
     “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (RSV)

     I kind of thought that after I gave my life to Jesus and was “born again,” I would no longer sin and give in so easily to temptation. Boy, was I wrong! As a matter of fact, way too many times I found out that the only difference between me and the “lost” in the world was that now, I had to feel the guilt of giving into temptation. Kind of wrong again.

     After we are born again, we quickly find that our old ways of living might not have died away. Please don’t be offended by the pictures I selected above. They are not meant to imply specific temptations we are so prone to give into…especially as associated by specific genders. However, it tends to be true that men are drawn back into lust by what they let in visually. That probably explains why so many Christian men suffer from the temptation of lust while spending way too much time in front of televisions or computer screens viewing things that are pretty far from holy.

     Don’t judge me if it seems by those pictures that I am implying that women alone are tempted by delicious things to eat that they should probably resist. Men have problems with eating temptations just like women do…take a look at your own weight as well as the weight of others around you. And, although I am not a woman, I am told women equally are tempted by visual temptations as well.

     We tend to think that our own temptation is specific to our own weakness and no one else’s. This Scripture points out right from the beginning, “you are not the ‘Lone Ranger’ sinner doing what no one else is doing.” Our temptations are common to all men (and women). That truth is true, but it doesn’t really give me a lot of comfort. So what?

     I sometimes look where I shouldn’t look, but so does everyone else…especially other Christians. The big difference is, that as one who now has the Holy Spirit living inside of me, I can…and usually do…feel a sudden urge from Him to think, maybe I should have said “NO” to that temptation. That doesn’t always inspire me with the strength and gumption to say NO, but hopefully, I try…at least once in a while. Unfortunately, when I go ahead and give in to whatever temptation I am dealing with today, I feel guilty, at least a little bit sorry and, hopefully, an urge to run to Jesus to ask forgiveness and try to turn from my sinful ways.

     Remember, 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That’s just what I need. But I also find that what I need is to somehow arrive at the point where I feel like I can actually get some victory over that particular temptation and maybe put it behind me…never to be seen again.

     One Christian friend I knew said he struggled this way after he was saved. After giving in to those temptations that seemed so “common to man,” he found it necessary every week to come back to church and be “born again, again.” He eventually discovered that it doesn’t work that way. But he also discovered that he needed some kind of help from the Lord to overcome those things. That is where the rest of this verse comes in.

     The very next words are, “But God is faithful.” I am so thankful for that. Our temptations and our proclivity to give in to them kind of prove that in our own flesh, we are really NOT faithful. It is a given truth – you can count on it! – that God will always be faithful! Praise the Lord!

     If we are His, He promises us three things: First, He is never going to allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to say “NO” to. Some sins we allow to become habitual seem to not fit into that category…but they do. NO matter what the temptation is, God has promised us they will never be beyond our ability to resist.

     Comedian Flip Wilson used to joke, “The devil made me do it!” Not true! The devil can’t MAKE you do anything. We always have the power, especially in Jesus, to say NO to any temptation. I don’t know what temptations might have come across my path that I could not say NO to, and I don’t want to! They didn’t and they won’t come my way. If I am tempted, I can count on the truth that it isn’t so tough that I can’t say NO.

     Second, there is a path of escape. Notice, the Scripture does not say the Lord will remove that temptation. He says that, with the temptation, He also provides a way to escape. We ALWAYS have a way to escape the temptation. Interesting that it uses the word “escape.”

     My experience tends to be that, when I am being tempted, I’m not usually looking for a way to get away from it…I want the joy or fulfilment that I think giving into that temptation will bring me. THEN, after sin is fully conceived, I want forgiveness. The Lord has to grow in us as His followers that sense that we know when we are tempted we need to immediately discover the way to escape it.

     Jesus told His disciples that their spirits were willing but their flesh was weak. All He was asking them to do in that instance was stay awake. He also wanted them to pray. If they had prayed…maybe together…they would have had more success at staying awake. The answer may be no more difficult than turning that computer or TV off! The answer, “Just say NO” is so simplistic that it doesn’t seem realistic. But every rejection of temptation has to start with us saying NO to the temptation.

     The Bible tells us in several places to RUN from temptation. That seems a little bit cowardly. I tend to think I can stand up against it, show the devil my super-strength and beat it with my own power. I can’t tell you how many times that didn’t work! When David saw Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop, he really needed to RUN from that temptation. He didn’t. You know the results.

     The last thing Jesus promises us in this Scripture is the end result: “That you may be able to bear it!” Jesus wants followers who grow to be able to BEAR temptations. Prayerfully figure out for yourself what that means. “Bear it” may mean running from it…it definitely means resisting it. James 4:7 says, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Bearing it may mean carrying it with you and overcoming it, not necessarily waiting for it to be removed. There is no indication in the Bible that we will ever stop being tempted in this life. Instead, the Lord wants us to learn what it means to be able to “bear it.”

     Don’t be deceived by the devil brothers and sisters. Jesus does want us to be like Him. He definitely wants us to have victory over every temptation. However, I don’t expect that I will arrive at that goal this side of heaven. On the other hand, I think every one of us should be seriously concerned if we are never experiencing some victory overcoming temptation. He is going to allow us to be tempted to help us to learn how to daily be conformed to His image…eventually. We should want that as much as He does.

     So, while we struggle with these temptations that are common to all of us and seem to so easily “beset us,” remember the promises: You will not be tempted beyond your ability to resist, the Lord WILL provide a way to escape, and He will through the temptation show you how to bear it and grow, through your victory over it, into His likeness and image.

     Questions to ponder: Confessions of your areas of temptation to others isn’t always a wise decision. However, with those you have learned to trust, one can find that sharing them can help us to see we are not alone, that the Lord has provided ways for us to be successful overcoming them and help us use others (again, who have proven they can be trusted) to help hold us accountable. Having said that, what are your areas of strongest temptation? Why does it seem that so many seemingly prominent pastors and preachers so publicly fall to temptations that ruin their influence and ministries? When it seems like I am the only one who suffers under a particular temptation, why should I believe that my temptation is common to everyone else? What are ways that you have found to be successful in overcoming temptations?

     Scriptures for study: Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 1 John 4:4 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”