“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
James 1:12 NKJV
Temptations are spiritual hurdles we all encounter in our Christian walk from time to time. The enemy capitalizes on our individual weaknesses to cause us to fall. There are two outcomes of temptations: you either overcome or fall for the devil’s schemes. Falling for a temptation of any kind is not a final defeat—you lost a battle, not the war. When we fall into sin due to temptation, that’s the time to run to God, not from Him.
The shame and guilt you feel after the fall must drive you to His presence to seek strength. Hiding from God, like Adam and Eve did, is disastrous because God alone has the cure for sin. Not going to God because you sinned is like refusing to go to the doctor because you are sick. Cry and blame yourself as much as you want, but you need to get back to God as early as possible.
Remember, we have an Advocate with the Father—One who can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities—Jesus Christ. Overcoming temptation can be very tricky as well. You may have won this battle, but be sure to win the next one, which mostly takes place in your mind. That feeling of self-ability and sufficiency is exactly where the enemy wants you to be—don’t let him win that battle.
Thank God for the strength to overcome this temptation, and depend on Him for strength to overcome the next. Over-complacency has been the undoing of many ‘overcomers.’ Whatever the end result of a temptation is, Jesus Christ is the One to go to.
Further Reading: Genesis 3:8-11, Proverbs 24:16, Matthew 4:1-11, James 1:12-15
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