Do you feel strong or weak about temptation? Some people want temptation. One silly fellow prayed, “Get thee behind me, Satan, and push”. He wanted his life filled with evil. Evil wasn’t really temptation for him; it was his lifestyle.
A famous humorist said, “I can resist anything but temptation.” This is a dangerous problem. When Jesus gave the Model Prayer, he included a line, “lead us not into temptation.” (Matthew 6:13 NIV) He knew that human weakness is such, even for Kingdom citizens, that we would surely have to be delivered from evil.
The tendency is to give in to temptation. A Biblical instruction on temptation is James 1:13-16 (NIV); “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived.”
Temptation is a great deceiver. It lies to you, promising what it can never deliver. The father of all lies, Satan, is the source. At the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, Satan whispered to Adam and Eve that they were missing out on something special if they did not taste the fruit from the tree in the garden. That’s the subtle beginning to pull you away from God’s plan for your life.
Perhaps you are “missing out” on something financial, social, sexual, educational or religious; that is a very tantalizing and seductive line intended to do you harm. Christian: memorize 1 Corinthians 10:14 (NIV), “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.”
“Father, through you guidance and strength, I can resist temptation. Be
always close to me because I am so weak and vulnerable. Amen”
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