[298 words]
We are constantly tempted with sin. How do we prepare? How do we cope?
Scripture says, “No temptations has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
How do we find the way of escape and endure the temptations that we face?
First, we must know the Word of God. What is God’s will for my life? What is expected? What is righteous? What is wicked? We can only know these answers as they are revealed in the pages of Scripture (cf. Heb. 5:14; 1 Tim. 2:4). We have the perfect example of Jesus Christ as He was tempted in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). Time and again, Jesus faced His temptations with the phrase, “It is written” (v. 4, 7, 10). When faced with temptation, we should at least be able to say, “I know that this is right/wrong because the Bible tells me so.”
Second, we must utilize the power of prayer. Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). He told the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). Evidently, passionate prayer aids in our ability to be alert to sin and temptation.
Jesus knows that His disciples must pray in order to be equipped to face the temptations and difficulties ahead. Prayer accomplishes within us what is later lived out. We need hearts prepared by and cultivated by prayer to be ready for what we will face. Are we ready?
Bart Warren
Glasgow, KY