Temptation

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And 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, (emphasis added), so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

I have written about temptation several times over the years. It’s a thing we all have to deal with daily. A recent devotion gave me a four-step plan to fight it.

Step one is desire. God gave us desires for many things that are not sinful. But temptation turns a natural desire into a runaway desire which becomes more important and is all you can think about. That’s when our desires become more important than God.

Step two is doubt. You may think, “This seems good but does the Bible really say it’s not?” You doubt if you can trust God and His Word. “Oh, this isn’t so bad!”

Step three is deception. Satan knows your weaknesses and you start believing his lies. He knows what will get your attention and moves you from desire, to doubt then deception.

Step four is disobedience and defeat.  This is when temptation becomes a sin. Satan gets your attention, turns it into attraction, which changes your attitude then compels you to action. Temptation is not a sin…action is! “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death”. (James 1:14-15). That’s a step-by-step process too.

We are free to choose what we think about but we are not free from the consequences. Psalm 119:112 says, “I have made up my mind to obey your laws forever, no matter what.” Have we made up our minds to obey God’s Word? Let’s watch out for temptation and, with the Sword of the Spirit, (Ephesians 6:17), resist before it goes a step further.