“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NRSV)
Am I so different from everyone else? Are my temptations more difficult to resist or more alluring, more dangerous than the temptations of others I know?
But it’s so hard, Lord! I have wants and needs. I don’t like to deny myself anything. It just doesn’t seem fair.
“Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil and He tempts no one” ( James 1:12–13, NRSV).
Blessed, You say? Can’t I be blessed any other way? Something easier, perhaps? “But when one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved” (James 1:14–16, NRSV).
Am I being deceived right now? Is my impulse to gamble more than wanting to have a little fun? Are the angry things I say when I know I am in private more than harmless venting? Is the inclination to make up stories or tell fibs more dangerous than I think?
“Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want” (Galatians 5:16–17, NRSV).
I am free in You, Lord: free of my urges and desires, free of temptation, free to live with an eye to eternity. Praise You! “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law but under grace” (Romans 6:14, NRSV).
Faith step: Think of a temptation you face on a regular basis. Use Scripture to help you form your prayers for strength.
