Temptations
always look good at first. Years ago, I was tempted to take a ride on a
roller coaster. Now, I am afraid of heights. I don't even go above the
4th step of a step ladder, in a house, leaning against the wall. The
rest of the group was doing it so it seemed like a
good thought to me at the time. After all, in a couple of minutes it
would be all over. Temptations always look good in the
beginning. I got on the ride and as it went slowly up that first
hill, I asked myself over and over again why I had talked myself into
doing this
in the first place. Since that time, when I am tempted to ride a roller
coaster, I remember the experiences of my youth and the temptations,
while there
for only a few seconds, soon flee away. Actually, when I look at the
roller coasters of today, I have no desires to ride them. Roller
Coasters are one thing, but certainly there are many areas in our lives
when we face temptations. We deal with all kinds of
temptations in our lives almost every day that we live. First
Corinthians
10:13 says, "There hath no temptation taken you but
such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
This verse of Scripture, while a
general verse on temptation, is important as it is saturated with various
principles of the victorious Christian life. First of all,
temptation is common to everyone. You don't need to feel bad just because
you are tempted. Second, we can learn that God is faithful. In fact,
He is always faithful in all things. There is not one thing nor one time
that God will not be faithful. We can always count on Him. Third, He
won't allow us to be tempted above our capabilities. He knows our limits
and He can control the amount of temptation that we get. There is also, a
way to escape. This fourth item is very important. The avenue of
escape is there and God provides that. He gives us that road to victory
amidst of the temptation. The problem often comes when we don't accept the
road that He has provided. Now, this is a general verse on temptation and
there is something else that is quite important. You need to know the
Scriptures in order to use them during your temptation. Avenues of escape
are always present especially in God's Word. If you know 1 Corinthians
10:13, then you probably know many other verses of Scripture that can be used in
your hour of temptation. So, it is always good to be in God's Word and
memorizing it in order to use when you are tempted to do something that you
shouldn't. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness in Matthew 4 and Luke
4, we notice that He quoted sections of Scripture for each temptation that Satan
brought forth. We need to do the same
thing. Get involved in a good Scripture memory program and begin putting
verses away in your temptation arsenal. You won't regret it when the
occasion arises. Praise God today for the Bible and that it has the answers to all of life's problems.
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