Monday, September 17, 2007

Are you Tempted?

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB) 13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Are you tempted? Well, if you’re human you are! I was reading my devotion this morning and this was the subject. We are all tempted in certain ways, but temptation in itself is not sin. Temptation is just proof that I am human. In one sense, we tend to think of temptation as “bad”. Temptation is really just a ‘short-cut’ to what I want to do or be in my life. It is Satan’s attempt to get me to take matters into my own hands rather than trusting God.

How are you tempted? The temptation that comes your way often speaks of something on the inside of you. What is truly in your heart is the area in which you are tempted. If I am tempted by sexual images or stories, I need to beware that the sexual desire within me needs to be tamed or it will lead me on a shortcut that will be harmful. Sexual desire in itself isn’t bad. God made us sexual beings. But that physical attraction is to be harnessed within the framework that God has provided, which is marriage. If I allow my temptation in this area to control my life, I am prone to look for short-cuts. And those short-cuts are generally sinful. Rather than cursing the temptation, I need to learn to understand that this is a spiritual condition; a heart condition. And as such, I need to treat it. I need to saturate it with the salve of the Word. I need to admit it to myself, rather than denying that it exists and learn to channel my energy in the direction that God has provided.

If I can view my temptation as a tool to gauge my heart, I can learn to diagnose my spiritual condition by the kinds of temptation I face. Then I can address those things with God; asking for His help in overcoming them. God’s goal for my life isn’t to rid it of all temptation. It is to carry me through every temptation.
Hebrews 2:18 (NASB) 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

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