You Don’t Have to fall again

Dealing with Temptation
Yes, we have been tempted at some point in life. May be we are being tempted now or will be tempted at a future time in our lives. The Bible says in I Corinthians 10:13 “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.” So we come to know that we are all tempted.
From the time a child can explore the world around it, it has temptations. It continues till the time one gets old, bed ridden or immobile once again. A small child is tempted to pick up things from the floor and put it in its mouth when mother is not watching. An 80 year old diabetic grandmother is tempted to eat a sweet when her children are not watching. What an irony!
Now let’s define what temptation is : doing something we want to do that should not be done at a particular time or in a particular way.
We can only be tempted with things we want. We have to understand that each person’s temptation is different from the other. What tempts me may not tempt you. For example, you can never tempt me with chocolates because I don’t like chocolates. When I am fasting if I see a chocolate, no matter how costly or tasty it is, I will never touch it. No matter how beautifully you package it or talk to me about it, you cannot make me eat it. But I can never say no to Biriyani. It always tempts me. For another person chocolate may be something they crave for and can be easily tempted when they are fasting.
When we read about the temptation of Jesus we think it is such an easy temptation to overcome. But if we look closely, He was tempted only with the things he needed the most, but it was not the right time or the right way to get what He wanted.
Like it is said in 1 Peter 5:8 “the enemy the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” For each person his strategy is different. But as said in 2 Cor 2:11 “We should not be unaware of his schemes so that he cannot outwit us”
When Jesus was tempted, we see,
(i) Jesus needed food.
(ii) Jesus needed the world to know and accept that He is the son of God.
(iii) Jesus needed to retrieve the authority and dominion that man lost to satan , back under His control.
Knowing well what Jesus needed, satan specifically tempted Him in those areas.
Yes, Jesus needed food, Jesus needed the world to know and accept Him and He needed to bring the world under His control but the way to get it was not the way satan offered.
Temptations are shortcuts to get what we need in an inappropriate time and way.
Jesus needed food but not the way satan wanted Him to have it that is by turning stone into bread. Jesus just had to wait and then He did have the angels ready to attend to Him. Jesus needed the news about Him to spread and people to know Him and accept Him but not by jumping off the tallest building, expecting angels to catch Him. But we read that after Jesus was tempted, news about Him spread throughout the region even before He did His very first miracle ( Luke 4:13,14.)
It would have been the shortest route to get popularity but not the right way to do it. It was the easiest way to achieve the purpose of His life but not the right way or the right time.
Thirdly we see Jesus knew He had to go through the suffering and pain on the cross to retrieve the authority and dominion that Adam lost to satan .Satan told Jesus,” You don’t have to take the hard way. Take it now, take it easy”.
Yes, we all have the same problem. Be it cheating in exams, stealing money or sexual immorality. It is all the same.Satan tells us to take it now, and take it easy.
We all need good marks
We all need money
We all have physical needs
But how do we get it without falling a prey to temptation?
To deal with temptation we just need to be patient and to think before we act. To deal with temptation we have to see how our dear Lord Jesus dealt with His temptations.
# Firstly, He knew the Word.
He did not have the Torah in His hand but He had it in His heart. If we read the word everyday and remember it, He will speak to us through His word. It will be a moral guide on what we should or should not do in a particular situation.
If we don’t know what God thinks about a particular situation, we will be easily devoured by the tempter. The world will keep changing its rules preferences and customs. The world might say that homosexuality is ok. But if we know what the Bible says we will not be swayed by what the world says even after 4000 years of advanced culture.
# Secondly He knew who He was.
He tells the devil “Do not tempt the Lord thy God”. Jesus knew satan was just a fallen angel who in the past was under Him. Jesus had the knowledge of who He was. He was the Son of the most High God, He was the Messiah. He was the Greater One.
When we are tempted we must think of who we are. We need self respect. We must know how valuable we are. If we see the tastiest honey dripping from the tail of a pig will we eat it? No. We won’t. We know there are better places to have honey from. All we have to do is, wait and remember who we are.
Remember that your body is precious. Your family name is important. You are a child of God washed by the precious blood of Jesus. So when we know who we are, we won’t look down to fall for honey traps in wrong places.
# Thirdly Jesus wanted to wait and not be lazy.
Instead He wanted to take the hard way that God wanted Him to take. He could have had all the dominion in one second from satan but then He would have become a slave to satan. The other blessings of going to the cross would have been lost. His 3 ½ years of ministry, teaching, love and life would have been lost. Jesus would have got what He wanted but you and I would have lost all that we have today. The relationship with God, the healing, the peace, the freedom from curses, the authority over satan are possible only because Jesus chose to wait and take the hard path.
We can hurry to get what we want easily. For example,we can quickly copy from someone’s paper in an exam; we can quickly enjoy an illicit sexual pleasure or get a quick promotion by bringing someone down. But we should choose to do things at the right time and in the right way.
If we know the Word of God, if we know who we are and if we choose to wait and take the way God wants us to take,we can easily overcome any temptation that comes our way.
We see, even in the life of Jesus, satan kept coming again and again till the last moment of His life to tempt Him so that He would lose the purpose for which He was born. It is the same with each one of us. He tirelessly tempts. At times we feel we have just got out of one sin only to fall deeper into another. We are tired fighting. Apostle Paul, Peter, King David even Jesus -all were tempted, so are we.
Sometimes it is hard to fight alone. In spite of praying hard, declaring the word, keeping our mind free, we are not able to come out of the temptation. We should remember,“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (II cor. 10:4-5).
The Bible says in proverbs 28:13, “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
We should be accountable to someone about our weaknesses. We should freely and openly share our weakness to someone who loves us, and does not take advantage of us. For children the best person you can confide in are your parents. For a married person, it is your spouse. Even if they are strict or not understanding just be accountable for your weakness. Friends, counselors may offer suggestions but people with you can help you be safe. It is a way to expose the sin. Sin when exposed loses its sting. Only things done in secret have the ability or thrill to make you do it again.
Exposing sin and being accountable may curb your freedom. But be patient. In the long run it will help you overcome the temptation. At times we need to burn the bridges that lead us to be tempted. Deal with temptation radically. Jesus said if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out.
If Jesus spoke to us now, He would say, if your phone causes you to sin throw it off. It is better to live without a phone and go to heaven than being in touch with what causes you to sin and go to hell.
Even if we do all these and fall into temptation again don’t lose hope. We have a loving Father who is asking us to boldly come to His throne of grace. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb 4:15,16) for we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses.
No matter how deep you have fallen into sin, how far you have gone away from the right way, you can come out of it. Sin may seem enjoyable at the beginning. But as time goes by, you will realize that all its promises of pleasure are false. It will suck the very life out of you. It will strangle you. It will take away your life. You will lead a dead life.But if you come to Jesus, you will find abundant life, freedom and true joy.
Our loving Heavenly Father will not condemn you or punish you. If you want to change, ask and He will help you and give you a wonderful life beyond what you can imagine.
Stay blessed.

From a wretched sinner saved by grace.
Merilyn Jemimah Amirtharaj