Whenever I read about temptation, I find myself wondering how I would do under the same circumstances.
Take Jesus in the desert for instance.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”(Matthew 4:1-4, NIV)
Now hot fresh bread without butter might tempt me; dry stale, without butter, maybe but not likely. However, if the offer had been for chocolate; who knows where I would be; temptation is sneaky. It is falling for good enough instead of great.
That’s why we ought to sympathize with those who fall into temptation. If the situation were slightly changed, we might do the same.
Only when we follow the Christ with all our heart, asking him for the strength to do the right thing, only then do we have a hope of avoiding the fall into temptation.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.(Matthew 6:13, NIV)
Prayer-Father, be our strength in the midst of our weakness. Thanks God. Amen.
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