ESCAPING TEMPTATION

January 1, 1987 Issue
Walter L. Hunter

Of all the problems we face in this life, the greatest is temptation. We all are tempted day by day. No one temptation gets to every man. But each man has his own weakness; the temptation that he or she will succumb to.

God does not tempt man. James says in chapter 1, verses 13 and 14: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed." We understand then, that we bring temptation upon ourselves. We look or think on a thing, then we let that thought become our action. We then commit sin, as in James 1:15; lust conceived bringeth forth sin.

These dangerous temptations can and will lead us astray and eventually to an eternity in torment. But the scripture gives us a great light of hope. "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." I Cor 10:13.

Each temptation that we face has been faced by others. There is a way to avoid temptations without them getting to us. How then has God provided a way of escape from each temptation?

You remember in Matt 26:33-46, when Peter said to Jesus, "Though all men be offended because of thee, I will never be offended...l will not deny thee." Then in the garden when Jesus went apart to pray and returned to find the disciples asleep, Jesus said to them, "watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Peter didn't want to deny Jesus but the temptation to deny him was going to be great. Peter needed help to escape this temptation. Jesus told him to "pray that ye enter not into temptation."

These scriptures show us that to escape temptation we need to pray. We see then that for each temptation that comes, God provides a way of escape. That escape is prayer. If each time temptation comes we would go to God in prayer, we should be able to escape. We will find it harder to enter into any temptation immediately following a talk with God. God has done his part in providing a way of escape. Do we take advantage of one of Gods escape routes?

Other OPA Article Links:

Temptation
Prayer

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