No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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, NIV

 

Temptation has been an inescapable human experience from the time Adam and Eve yielded to the serpent’s wiles in the Garden of Eden, and disobeyed God. It often rears its subtle head when we’re feeling low – exhausted, ravenous, or ill – and seemingly powerless to muster the strength, or determination that we need to resist it. How must Jesus have felt after fasting forty days in the desert!

 

Temptation seldom appears when we’re strong; we face these moments when we’re weighed down by discouragement or disappointment, enticed by sin, and the pressure to give up threatens to overwhelm us; and we feel alone, with no-one to understand our struggle. Yet God sees.

 

Today’s verse reminds us that temptation is “common to man”, and no-one escapes being drawn toward things that are not from God, whether blatantly or secretly, some appearing inoffensive, others fiendish, but all defy God. The temptations the Israelites succumbed to in the desert are temptations still, except today they appear in different forms.

 

It also reveals that God knows about our struggles; “God is faithful” and we’re not alone – he doesn’t abandon us in times of temptation but, when we cry to him for help, he provides the means to escape. We don’t have to lose the battle, or compromise our values (or our health, peace of mind – or our waistline!) in a moment of weakness. God walks with us, and he is faithful.

 

God doesn’t promise to remove the challenge, but he does promise to provide a way of escape – which, of course, then leaves us with the responsibility to resist. His help may come as the quiet whisper to walk away, the friend who checks in at the right moment, the strength to pray when we feel weakest, or the Scripture verse that suddenly comes alive. He provides what we need to flee, or to endure, and to come through the trial undefeated, and refined.

 

Remember Jesus’ victory.

 

Jesus showed through his suffering that physical strength is not what we need; the effective way to resist temptation and defeat the enemy is with Scripture. We may never know what other temptations Jesus faced but we know that he would’ve overcome; and because he was victorious, we can be victorious.

 

God is faithful and gis grace is always enough.

 

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you that when I am weak, you are strong. May I call on you and stop temptation where it starts by the power of your Word. Amen