Wednesday, December 19, 2007
There’s No Escaping It
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
It was Martin Luther who said, “One Christian who has been tempted is worth a thousand who haven't been.” Temptation is a subject we are all familiar with. None of us enjoys it, but it is a reality of the Christian life. No doubt we would rather there were no such thing as temptation. But it may surprise you to know that testing—even temptation—can have a positive affect in the life of a Christian.
It has been said, “Christians are a lot like tea bags. You don’t know what they are made of until you put them into hot water.” It is in the hot water of testing and temptation that we see what we are really made of.
Everyone faces temptation in their lives. As James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted. . . .” This verse does not say if one is tempted, but when. Temptation is inevitable. There is no escaping it.
The word tempt means “to entice to do wrong by a promise of pleasure or gain.” We must realize that it is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus himself was tempted, after all. Paul certainly grappled with it as well. But it is a sin when we give in to the temptation.
We don’t want to underestimate the seductive power and pull of temptation. We make a big mistake when we say, “I can handle this.” Famous last words. Because even the strongest Christians are vulnerable to the enticements of the devil. Even those who have known the Lord for years are still susceptible to the enemy’s attacks.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions,
