Pay Attention to Temptation

Pauls warning to be careful not to fall (I Cor. 10:12) is as necessary today as it has ever been. For we, like all who have gone before us, are fallen, tempted, and subject to thinking and doing what is wrong. Few teachings of Scripture have more practical implications for day-to-day living.

Temptations are almost endless. And since human nature is not getting any better, and no one is immune to corrupt appetites, we need to take Pauls warning seriously and watch out for temptation, or we will surely fall. Fortunately, Scripture offers several alternatives for dealing with temptation as we find it:

1. We should avoid temptation whenever possible. Proverbs 4:14,15 urges us, Dont follow the bad example of cruel and evil people. Turn aside and keep going. Often we know beforehand whether a certain set of circumstances is likely to lead to sin. Therefore, the obvious way to avoid sin is to avoid those circumstances. Paul says, God&will show you how to escape from your temptations (1 Cor.10: 13). Often the escape is to stay away from the place or the people where temptation lurks. As believers, we can help others in this regard. We can avoid setting up situations that encourage people to do wrong. Teachers, for example, can help students avoid cheating by making assignments, giving tests, and communicating expectations in ways that reduce the temptation to cheat. Likewise, business owners and managers can devise procedures that dont needlessly place employees in a position where they might be tempted to steal cash, inventory, or equipment. Its not that a teacher of employer cant trust students or employees, but that no one can trust human nature to be immune from temptation.
   
   
2. We should flee from powerful temptations. Earlier in this letter, Paul warned the Corinthians to flee sexual immorality (6:18). Here he warned them to flee idolatry (10:14). Elsewhere he warned Timothy to flee the lust for material possessions and wealth (1 Tim. 6:9-11), as well as youthful lusts (2 Tim.2: 22). The message is clear: Dont toy with temptation. Flee from it!
   
   
3. Chronic temptation is something we need to confess and offer to Christ, and ask for his cleansing work. Some temptations are powerful inner struggles, with thoughts and attitudes that graphically remind us of how fallen we really are. What should we do with that kind of temptation? Rather than deny it or just try to repress it, we should bring it to Christ. He alone is capable of cleaning up the insides of our minds.
   
   
4. Finally, we must resist temptation until it leaves us. When Christ was tempted by the devil, he resisted until the devil went away (Matt. 4:1-11). James encourages us to do the same (Jam. 4:7). Resistance begins by bathing our minds in Gods word and standing our ground. We have the promise, after all, that the temptations we experience will never go beyond the common experiences of others, or beyond our ability to deal with them (1 Cor. 10:13).