Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture – “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.”- 1 Corinthians 10:13
Thought of the day- Let’s face it, we all struggle with temptation every single day. It is part of the human condition. Both Christians and non-Christians are tempted. The only difference is that Christians know we have a way out, through prayer and supplication to Christ Jesus. Hebrews 2:18 is one of my favorite verses in Scripture, because it points out the fact that Jesus understands what we are going through when we are tempted because He himself was tempted. It says simply, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” It is amazing that , fully God yet fully man, himself “suffered” when tempted. Have you ever suffered when tempted? I sure have. But I have found we suffer even more when we give into our temptations. Temptations when acted upon is called sin and it leads to deadly consequences. Simply stated, sin kills! It kills our soul and it kills our relationships with others, because sin doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There are always consequences- just ask King David. His affair with Bathsheba led directly to the death of his good friend Uriah and his own son. It costs David dearly and the consequences cost more than David wanted to pay and the pain lasted longer than he ever wanted it to stay. That is what happens when we give into the temptations of our flesh!
Oscar Wilde once famously said the “only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” Certainly, this is much easier than trying to deny yourself and your flesh the allure of the temptation that is before you. But unfortunately for Oscar and for me and you, when we give in to temptation, we always lose in the long run. See the devil always shows us the worm, but he never shows us the hook. The hook is the consequences that come flooding in the moment we give into the temptation. For a fish, the consequences of going after the alluring worm, is a hook that ends their life. For Eve, it was believing the enemy’s lie in Genesis 3:5 that “she would be like God, knowing good and evil.” Instead, as soon as she ate of the forbidden fruit, she was instantly separated from God and brought sin into the world which is still reaping destruction to this day. For me and you, our sin could be an adulterous affair that leads to divorce or destruction of reputation. It could be a gambling habit that drains all of your financial resources. It could be an innocent lie on your corporate taxes that leads to devastation for your company. Whatever the case, sin always kills. For us mortals, we have no chance against the temptation of sin, unless we call on the name of Jesus. When we do, His power alone can protect us. If we fall, we can bring our weakness to him in repentance and He will forgive us, yet the consequences will still be severe. So yes as Oscar Wilde said it is much easier to just give into our temptations than to fight them. But that lack of will power and lack of reliance on the power of Christ to protect us will destroy our lives every time. So don’t give in to temptation, rather ask Christ to help you overcome it in His power, because He is aware of how difficult the fight is and He promises that “He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
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