Wednesday, June 2nd – Overcoming Temptation

Temptation is a fact of life for all of us. As we know, even Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. So, the question arises, why are some people able to withstand the temptations while others are not? Why do some people come through temptation unscathed while others are completely ru- ined by temptation?

Temptation brings with it feelings of guilt, as a result we get discouraged and think if you were a better Christian you wouldn’t have such thoughts. It is a mistake not to take temptation serious- ly, many who have succumbed thought they were strong enough to resist.

When people think that they are the only one experiencing a particular temptation, they will be reluctant to seek help from other believers. As we know, God’s design for the church is to be a body of believers helping one another. One of the major functions of the church is to be an encouragement to each other.

People think that the problem of sin is just plain too big to handle. It is too much for them. Therefore, they excuse themselves from their sin, because they “couldn’t help themselves.” After all, we still have a sin nature, right?

The good news is that God knows exactly what your breaking point is. And because he is mer- ciful, he promises that he will never let the temptation get beyond that point. If you are being tempted, it must be a temptation that you are strong enough to resist, because otherwise God would not have allowed it to come. As long as we do our part and resist the temptation that does come, God promises that he will ensure that the temptation never gets too strong for us to resist.

Trials and temptations are like the winds of our life. It is when we overcome them that we gain strength to stand up. The way out from sin can be very costly, like it was for Joseph. But it can become an easy choice. It is a matter entirely of priorities. If your priority is to live a holy life, then you will find the way out no matter what the consequence of that way out. If you really don’t have your Christian walk as a high priority; if comfort, or convenience, or money, or relationships, or what other people think of you, or anything else is more important, then it will be easy for you to believe the lie that there is no way out. But there is always a way out.

Keep any form of temptation out of your home, your relationships and your mind by main- taining your love relationship with God and recognizing you are powerless to resist in your own strength. When Joseph was tempted to commit adultery he fled. Darkness and light cannot co-exist therefore run from the darkness to light.