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. I Corinthians 10:13 NIV
I am so glad there is no sin in the “temptation” of a thing, because I am tempted all the time. It is the “giving into” or “acting upon” the temptation that takes us into sin. For instance, you might be tempted to tell someone off, but when you hold your tongue there was no sin only the temptation. But when you decide not to do it God’s way, then with the first mean word out your mouth, there lies the moment your temptation turned to sin.
Take love for instances, many are tempted to stop loving their spouses; under the guise of “I fell out of love.” Love is an action, so therefore we have a choice to love or not love someone. Just as in forgiveness, we can choose to forgive a wrong or not forgive. The temptation is not in the thoughts of “not forgiving” or “not loving”. But the actual sin comes into play the minute we make the decision we will not forgive or walk in love.
We are tempted to lie about the simplest things sometimes and since in God’s kingdom there’s no such thing as a little white lie….it’s sin. It can be something as minor as dividing the last piece of cake fairly or keeping the extra money when given the wrong change. Temptation comes in so many ways in the course of a day it’s not funny. But in all of them, “big” or “small” we have a way out, if we choose to take it.
I think one of the most common temptations to mankind we experience is the temptation to not trust God.
Giving into that temptation can send us right over the edge. Single women, who give into the temptation to not trust God with their lives and well being, venture out on their own to make things happen. This often leads to sin and a broken heart. Married women begin to try to manipulate circumstances or their husbands. The end result is never good. Worry and lack of sleep is also a symptom of giving into the temptation to not trust Him. Not trusting God can lead us to lying on our income tax returns, backstabbing on the job, even stealing from the church. It all starts out as a simple temptation, (no sin in that) but as me make the decision to not accept the out that God has supplied, we quickly move into the sin aspect of the matter.
Another common temptation to mankind is the temptation to complain. We as a people are whiners and complainers by nature, but with the union of the Holy Spirit of God, we no longer have to give into the temptation to whine and complain. Yes, there is sin in complaining. How? Well, for one you cannot complain about things and be grateful at the same time. A complaining heart is not a grateful heart. It is a heart that is not satisfied and not looking for the good. It is a heart that thinks God should do better by them. It lacks humility.
If lately you’ve found yourself giving into the temptation to not trust God, then it’s time to fight back. How do we do that? By bringing our thoughts that are out of line with His Word under the submission of Christ. We do that by standing on what the Word of God says about our lives and circumstances and not giving into how things may look. It is a fight, but one that we can win.
Every time you are tempted to complain about your life, job, husband, kids, neighbors, boss, pastor and the many other things that we find to complain about…don’t! Take God’s out by choosing to see the good in your life. Your boss might be a person who is unfair and unjust in their dealings, but how would not having a job to pay your bills affect your life? So, the out is to pray for your boss, praise God for your job and the provision He uses it to make, and you will be able to endure until such time there is change.
Temptation is something that never takes a holiday, so it is up to us to resist in every way that we can. And it is also our job to remember that God is faithful; and He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.
Love & Hugs
Ponnie
See you tomorrow!
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