LEARNING DAILY

 

! Corinthians 10:12-14, Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

 

We use spiritual weapons to battle spiritual enemies. We take every thought captive to defeat the temptations we face every day. Each of us better be careful when we think we can do any of this in our own strength; Paul is giving us a warning. There is a great danger when we think that we can experiment or dabble safely in sinful activities whether in seeing inappropriate stuff or messing with immorality. The Bible tells us of the moral failure of men and Israel who thought they were secure as followers of God but failed to turn from unrighteous conduct and idolatry. They met God’s judgment. Go back and read beginning with verse 6 and you will better understand you and I and all Believers are in as much danger of the temptations of idolatry, immorality and not being faithful to God as the Israelites of the Old Testament.

 

The Bible does not spare the failures of people. Verse 11 tells us, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”  This again a warning to all of us to not become complacent or think they are not vulnerable to temptation. As a Christian you are not free to indulge in sinful activity without fear of consequences. A person who believes he/she is secure because they profess to be a Christian but whose life and spirit suggests otherwise is in danger!  Never forget that sin matters to the Lord. Yes, He died to forgive all sin that a Believers does commit, but that does not give a license to do whatever we want. We just cannot assume we will “stand” if we continue to sin. The answer goes back to choosing Barabbas or Jesus.

 

Paul assures Christians that we do not fall into sin when tempted. The Holy Spirit encourages us that God provides for His children with the grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense) to overcome every temptation and therefore not sin. Being tempted is not sin. Acting on the temptation is. Believers are tempted with the same stuff as nonbelievers. For the most part, temptations happen as we live life. God is faithful! That faithfulness is expressed when He will never allow us to be tested beyond what we can bear and He will provide “a way of escape that you may be able to bear it”. There is always a right way out of temptation and God will provide it. It might be a phone call that diverts our attention. It might be that small gentle voice that reminds us or tells us to not go there, not do that. It might be much stronger, but it comes.

 

Do not be surprised when the temptation comes. It might even be good for you as God wants to see how you will react or He might want you to see how you will react. The “way of escape” that He supplies will always involve faith and He wants to see how you will respond. That’s growth. Paul describes us as “more than conquerors” in Christ. He wants us to see ourselves not as victims in this evil world but as being “more than conquerors” in our struggles in life. You and I can do that because of Christ’s victory for us at the cross and because of the Holy Spirit within us.

Think back to what was written about 2 Peter 1:3. God has “given us everything we need to live life and godliness through the knowledge of Him”. He does not want us to live in defeat. Know that God loves you more than you can imagine and He is actively working in you to choose to walk on the narrow way into His kingdom following Him and to live the way He demands. To me, that is a tremendous help as I do all I can to follow Him!