DEVOTION – DAY 393

1 Corinthians 10:13 “Flee From Temptation”

1 Corinthians 10:13 “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.”

In Matthew 4:1-11, we find the account of Jesus being tempted by Satan not once, but three times. But Jesus resisted every temptation offered to Him. We learn that temptation in itself is not sin. It is when people give into temptation, that is when they fall into sin. Unlike people, Jesus never gave into temptation and thus, He never sinned.

In 1 Cor.10:13, the word “temptation” in its original Greek text can refer to “testing”. Thus, what the apostle Paul was teaching us, was to consider temptations of all sorts as a kind of testing. The important principle for Christians to remember is to resist temptation with God’s help and enablement. They are to endure the time of testing and not give in to the temptation, and in the process, sin against God.

A man told me that he was addicted to pornography. It began out of curiosity when he was in school. At the urging of his friends, he started looking at pornographic images. He knew instinctively that it was wrong. But he also experienced guilty pleasure. By the time he was a working adult, he was spending a couple of hours a day looking at pornography. It later affected his marriage. Pornography began to have a negative impact on his mind. He knew he had to stop this bad addiction. 

He knew he did not have the strength and resolve to stop his addiction. So, he asked someone he knew who was spiritually more matured than he was, to be his accountability partner. He confessed his addiction. He repented and asked God for forgiveness. His accountability partner prayed with and for him to be able to resist every temptation to look at pornography. It took some months, but this man eventually managed to resist temptation to sin in this area. His relationship with his wife also improved. Looking back, he realized he could not have made the change without God’s help.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, you are worthy of our praise. You are the source of our strength and You are holy and You want us to be holy. Please help us to resist every temptation to sin, and to flee from sin. Please help us to lead holy lives pleasing to you. We humbly ask this in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What temptations do you face each day? Share.
  2. What struggles do you have with theses temptations and have you tried to rationalize them away when you give into temptations? Share and discuss.
  3. What are some steps you can take to overcome temptations to sin? Discuss.
  4. How has God helped you to overcome your temptations to sin? Share.