LEARNING DAILY

 

1 Corinthians 10:12-13, If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. But remember that the temptations that came into your life are no different from what others experience. But God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

 

Temptations are all around us! You know those things we might have done before Jesus saved us and we became a new creation. Temptations are those things we allowed ourselves to experience; those things might even be things that would embarrass us if others knew about them. Those things just seem to find their way back to tempt us even after we gave our lives to Jesus and are doing our best to walk the narrow way into His kingdom. They are often the cause for some of the difficulties we face in our walk with Jesus Christ. John wrote about them when writing his first epistle, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” “In his day, there were people who said when a person became a follower of Christ, that person’s sin was eradicated and he or she could achieve sinless ‘perfection’” (DJSB).

 

All of us are tempted! Some days the temptations seem to be greater and stronger than others – at least so it seems. We can be thankful for the words of Scripture above that tells us that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure; our responsibility is to not become so charmed by sin that we are not able to see any escape route He gives to us.

 

The DJSB gives five words that Paul’s writing and Bible scholars have said about temptation. They are great words of encouragement and instruction to us when we are tempted. The first word given is to fight because we must when we are tempted, we cannot be passive or inactive. James 4:7 tells us, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We draw near to God in worship, praise, in prayer with thanksgiving, and by getting into His Word. By drawing close to God, we resist the devil’s tactics and gain victory over the temptation.

 

The second word suggested is follow. The greatest example we have in facing temptation is Jesus Christ. He was tempted right after His baptism, and everywhere He traveled, yet He remained sinless; He did not give in to the temptations of the flesh, the world and whatever the devil tempted Him with. Instead, He drew near to His Father in heaven. James 4:8 tells us “to draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” When we face temptation and go to Him for help, He draws near to us. Ephesians 4:6 tells us that God’s grace is always available to His people, especially when they are facing temptations and the pressures of the world. Read verse 6 and you will see that at these times, God gives even greater grace, especially to those who humbly ask for help in accordance with His Word.

 

One of the ways to confront temptation is to run away from it – not to it! 1 Corinthians 10:14 tells us, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Not one of us is to make provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14). Stay away from those things, those places, those thoughts that tempt you to sin! Don’t give temptation the smallest possibility to become sin in your life. Run! Flee!

 

The fourth word to consider is fellowship. Keeping company with the wrong people will corrupt good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33). The place to be is in the company of other believers. 2 Timothy 2:22 tells us “…. pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart.” We pursue the things of God with those who will encourage our walk with Him.

 

The last word is feed. I can’t stop this writing without encouraging you to read/study your Bible. It is essential to do so. Psalm 119:11 reminds us to hide God’s Word in our heart. Doing so is a great help when temptation comes that we keep strong and choose not to sin.

 

Stay strong in the battle of temptation. We face it every day, all day long. It seems to be growing stronger. Don’t ever give in or give up!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.