Temptation’s Lure and Remedy

“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 ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”  I Corinthians 10:13

The above verse is probably one of the most quoted promises given by the Lord in scripture.  No one is immune to temptation, which is likely the devil’s most commonly and widely used tool in his effort to lead people astray from the “straight and narrow”.  God does not tempt anyone to sin.  He doesn’t dangle some forbidden sin in front of a person and dare him or her to give in to it.  James wrote in 1:13-14: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed”.  We know that is true.  But why did Jesus say in His pattern of prayer that He gave to His disciples for God to “lead us not into temptation”?  It makes no sense for God to condemn sin while at the same time tempting man with sin.  That would not be just, and we know that God is a just God.  If we rephrase this petition which is in a negative sense into a positive sense, we would pray, “Lead us away from temptation” because temptation is always just around the corner.

There is no excuse for a believer to give into a temptation which would lead one into sin.  Remember the old line used by Flip Wilson dressed as the character “Geraldine” in the television show, “Laugh In”?  The most famous line from his skits was “The devil made me do it”.  The devil doesn’t have the power to make anyone do anything.  He can influence by dangling that carrot of sin and make it look so desirous, but he can’t make us reach out and grab it.  All sin begins in the mind with a thought, which can develop into an idea, then into a plan, and then into an action.  At some point in this progression, the believer gets a warning from the Holy Spirit.  For those who walk in close fellowship with the Lord, the warning comes immediately as the thought forms in the mind.  The escape in this instance is to dismiss the thought and think on something else which is true, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8).

We can’t help the thoughts that come into our minds, but we can learn not to dwell on them.  Have you ever had some truly disgusting thought go through your mind and wonder, “Where did that come from?”  If the tempting thought manages to make it to the idea stage or further, God still sends ways of escape, but it is up to us to take advantage of them.  To ignore them puts us in danger of hardening our hearts and turning a deaf ear to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  When one receives Christ as Lord and Savior, he or she is given the Holy Spirit to help in all sorts of situations including the temptation to sin.  When we are born again, we die to sin, but sin doesn’t die.  It is still there, taunting us, tempting us, exhausting us in our efforts to dismiss and avoid getting caught up in Satan’s traps.

The best part of the above verse is not only that God makes a way for us to escape the temptation to sin, but while He allows temptation, He will not allow us to be tempted more than we can stand.  That is reassuring, although sometimes He cuts it close.  In other words, don’t expect life on this earth to be smooth sailing.  Temptation serves a purpose in the Christian’s life.  How can one grow in faith if he or she is never challenged through temptation?  Life is sometimes like a track meet.  The runner starts out running, making good time, but then there are hurdles to jump over without falling.  Those who have trained profusely and who are determined to finish well, are the ones who are rewarded at the finish line.  The Christian life is also replete with hurdles to jump over, sometimes seeming like it is constantly one thing after another.  But this is where our training comes into play.  If we are walking closely with the Lord, obeying Him, studying God’s word, praying, and determined to strive for excellency, then we, too, will finish well.