We all face temptations every day just like Jesus did. There’s something that the Lord told me about temptation that totally changed the script for me, and I believe it will do the same for you, too. So I’m going to be reading from 1 Corinthians 10:13, and this is the Amplified version. Listen to this beautifully, “For no temptation, no trial regarded as enticing to sin, no matter how it comes or where it leads, has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man. That is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience and such as a man can bear. But God is faithful to His word and to His compassionate nature. And He can be trusted not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond strength, beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure. But with temptation, He will always also provide a way out, the means of escape to a landing place that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.”
That’s a mouthful. But in essence, what he’s saying is there is nothing that you are facing today that everyone else in the world doesn’t face, too. Number one. Number two, there is no way that God will leave you in that tempted space. Number three, because He will always provide a way out to help you get out from underneath it, right? So this is super encouraging because there is a very big difference between being tempted, which we get to understand the devil will always do. He knows exactly where your weak spots are. He knows exactly where your triggers are. He knows what your experience of life is and where it’s easy to get his barbs in.
So settle it right now, my friend. You will always be tempted. The difference is that you don’t have to fall into the temptation. And this is what Jesus prayed in the Lord’s prayer. He said, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” right? So know that whatever is tempting you, if it’s an impure thought, you know, if you are married and you see someone and you go, “Oh, very cute,” right? You’re being tempted by that thought. But you then get to choose whether you fall into it or not. And Jesus will always give you a way to go, “Hey, you’re being tempted right now. Let’s not fall into it.” And you get to go, “Lord, thank you for the way you made that person. Yes, they’re attractive.” And then I turn it into a blessing and go, “Lord, thank you. I bless my husband and thank you Lord that he is the love of my life. Thank you Lord for our marriage.” And I just start intentionally blessing, because it’s a beautiful principle that whenever you’re tempted in order to not fall into temptation, you see what Jesus did. He went straight to the word and He spoke the word out loud. And that’s exactly what we get to do.
So my friend, today know that nothing that you’re being tempted with is beyond Jesus’ ability to help you not fall into it. That is the beautiful way you get to say to the enemy, “I see you, I hear you, and I will not fall for your devices, because my Jesus and I have the truth.” Bless you.