Temptations

I was reading this morning in Matthew 4. I honed in on the temptation of Jesus. Satan had enough gall to tempt the Savior of the world! The One who created the Cosmos! The One with the power of life and death in His hands.

So why am I shocked when that same devil tempts me? A born sinner. Am imperfect woman who is nothing without her Savior.

Satan tempted Him with food after He’d been fasting for more than a month.

Satan tempted Jesus with food when He was very hungry, just as he tempts us with the things that are most likely to work. He doesn’t typically dangle booze in the face of someone who doesn’t drink. If porn is our thing, expect explicit images to pop up everywhere. If we struggle with loneliness and a need for love, we can expect unsavory characters to appear from nowhere.

He hits below the belt. He goes for the jugular. He wants total annihilation.

So how do we avoid temptation?

AVOID. When possible, avoid situations that have the potential to be tempting.
PLAN AHEAD. Decide before how we will conduct ourselves in situations.
BE PREPARED. Don’t go ALONE. Invite Jesus with us. Pray for His strength.
RESIST. Don’t be a slave to our feelings. If necessary, RUN.

Assume that you will be tempted. None of us is exempt. We should be wise in our choices and avoid making temporary decisions today that will permanently affect our tomorrows.

Always look for a way out. God is faithful to provide one. http://bible.us/116/1co.10.13.nlt

If you want to know the God I’m referring to, please contact me directly.