“These things happened to them as examples
and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages
has come. So, if you think you are
standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up
under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:11-13)
The temptations are strong. Paul lists several that the people of Israel
gave in to time and again: idolatry,
sexual immorality, testing the Lord, and grumbling. We face those same temptations, and like the
Israelites, most of us give in to them time and again. How can we overcome those sins and learn to
say “no” to the temptations?
One way is to be reminded of the example of
the Israelites. The story of their sins
is written down for our good. As we read
and study about their lives, we see the disaster that they brought on to
themselves when they gave in to the temptations.
Another way is to realize the danger of the
temptations. We do ourselves a
disservice when we think we are beyond the place where temptation can trouble
us. No matter how mature we become,
temptations are still there and they are still strong.
Realize you are not alone in the battle with
temptation. You don’t face any
temptations that are unique to you.
Every human who is alive now faces similar temptations and every human
already dead faced similar temptations when they lived.
Look to the Lord when you are tempted. He promises the temptations will not be more
than you can handle. And He promises to
provide an escape route from every temptation.
Look to Him for strength and keep your eyes open for the way of escape.
His, by Grace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment