No temptation has
overtaken you except such as is common to man . . . —1 Corinthians 10:13
The word temptation has come to mean something bad to us
today, but we tend to use the word in the wrong way. Temptation itself is not
sin; it is something we are bound to face simply by virtue of being human. Not
to be tempted would mean that we were already so shameful that we would be
beneath contempt. Yet many of us suffer from temptations we should never have
to suffer, simply because we have refused to allow God to lift us to a higher
level where we would face temptations of another kind.
A person’s inner nature, what he possesses in the inner,
spiritual part of his being, determines what he is tempted by on the outside.
The temptation fits the true nature of the person being tempted and reveals the
possibilities of his nature. Every person actually determines or sets the level
of his own temptation, because temptation will come to him in accordance with
the level of his controlling, inner nature.
Temptation comes to me, suggesting a possible shortcut to the
realization of my highest goal— it does not direct me toward what I understand
to be evil, but toward what I understand to be good. Temptation is something
that confuses me for a while, and I don’t know whether something is right or
wrong. When I yield to it, I have made lust a god, and the temptation itself
becomes the proof that it was only my own fear that prevented me from falling
into the sin earlier.
Temptation is not something we can escape; in fact, it is
essential to the well-rounded life of a person. Beware of thinking that you are
tempted as no one else–what you go through is the common inheritance of the
human race, not something that no one has ever before endured. God does not
save us from temptations–He sustains us in the midst of them
Because he
himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being
tempted. Hebrews 2:18
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16
No comments:
Post a Comment