ODJ: trials and temptations
October 15, 2010
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one (v.13).
READ: Matthew 6:9-13
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Each test was a temptation or enticement to sin. It’s not a sin to be tempted. But there exists in every trial a potential for us to disobey God. Job, severely tested by Satan (Job 1-2), didn’t sin against God (2:10). Mrs. Job, however, responded differently: “Curse God and die,” she said (2:9). Her response shows the potential danger in every trial or temptation we face. That’s why we need to pray, “Don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).
To resist temptation, we need to:
• Be alert to the dangers of evil around us. Satan asked permission to test Peter (Luke 22:31). Because Peter did not heed Jesus’ warning, he denied the Lord (Luke 22:34,56-62). Jesus said, “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation” (Matthew 26:41).
• Resist the devil with the Word of God. In Luke 4, Jesus responded to Satan’s temptations by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3 (v.4), Deuteronomy 6:13 (v.8), and Deuteronomy 6:16 (v.12). Just as Jesus used the Scriptures to overcome Satan and temptation, so should we.
• Trust in God who is faithful. God uses the trials of life to perfect us (James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-8). If these trials couldn’t build us up, He wouldn’t allow them. Surely, our heavenly Father will be with us in whatever we face. We persevere because He provides us with His all-sufficient grace (2 Cor. 12:8-10). Our fear of failure is dispelled when we realize that God may place a load on us but will never overload us. He will provide a way out so that we can endure. He is the faithful God we can trust in the midst of any trial (1 Cor. 10:13).
—K.T. Sim
What trials of life are you going through at this moment? What potential danger to sin exists in these trials? What must you do to overcome the temptations?
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Thanks, KT. It’s a great reminder that we will all experience temptation, but we don’t have to give in to it!
getting way out of places where temptation lurks dangerously certainly helps and staying accountable to another mature christian helps too!