Defeating Temptation
Playwright Oscar Wilde once said, “I can resist everything except temptation.”[1] Those words might make us laugh, but temptation is no laughing matter. It visits us each day in different ways. However, the Bible gives us an encouraging promise.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “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 so that you can endure it.”
This verse tells us some important things about temptation.
Firstly, whatever temptations you face, they are “common to mankind.” The very same temptations that you deal with, countless of others deal with too. That’s why it’s important to open up and share your weaknesses with others. God never meant you to struggle alone. James 5:16 says to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, so that you may be healed.” The moment someone does this is often the crucial turning point in their life to defeating a temptation.
Secondly, God “will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” If you are facing something that seems overwhelming, be encouraged, because the very fact that God has allowed it means you can defeat it, with his help. We have to understand something important. God doesn’t actually tempt us. James 1:13 says, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” God may allow us to be tempted, but he never tempts us. What then is the source of temptation? The Bible talks about three sources of temptation: the world, the flesh, and the devil (James 3:15).
Thirdly, there is a promise of victory. God will always “provide a way out so that you can endure it.” When we are faced with temptation there is always a moment where the Holy Spirit whispers to us, “That’s sinful, don’t do it.” We are faced with a choice. Do we do what our sinful nature wants, and what Satan wants, or do we obey God and do what he wants? God’s way out means relying on his strength and help. In 1 John 4:4 we are reminded that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Every born again believer has the Spirit of God in them. The moment we receive Christ as our Savior, God “set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:22). So, we don’t face the battle alone. As powerful as the pull of temptation may seem, there is a power source that’s greater in every Christian. Turn to him for help, and he will help you defeat temptation.
