6 Ways God Helps When You’re Tempted

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it."1 This tongue-in-cheek quote sums up the perspective of many Christians. We try so hard to turn away from the attraction of sin by developing strategies and self-talk to manage, rather than overcome, temptation. Our efforts often lead to disaster, but sin need not be the inevitable result of temptation. God always helps if we turn to Him when we're tempted.

For some of us, temptation came as a surprise when we first became Christians. We had the impression that once Jesus saved us, sin wouldn't come knocking on the door. But we quickly learned that not only does sin knock, but it also repeatedly buzzes the doorbell and tries to bust through the deadbolt locks. Sometimes we even open the door and invite sin in for coffee.

Really, why should we be any different than our Lord and Savior, Jesus? As soon as Jesus stepped into His public ministry, Satan came at Him with full force. In Matthew chapter four, you can read more about how Jesus responded to the tempter's schemes to bring Him down. Though weak human flesh cloaked His divine glory, He resisted and overcame the devil's lure.

Some think that God tempts us. People must have had this misunderstanding as far back as the first century. That's why James wrote to the early Christians about the true source of temptation.

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong and never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15 NLT)

Notice what James says. Temptation arises from within us, from our own sinful hearts. Satan pounces on the opportunity of our own desires to lead us into sin.

Verses in the Bible do, however, suggest that God has some role for temptation in His holy plan. For instance, Matthew 4:1 says, "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil (NLT). Why would a loving Father lead His Son into a place where He might succumb to temptation?

The Spirit of God took Jesus into the wilderness, a place of physical deprivation, for the express purpose of temptation. Temptation displayed the condition of Jesus' heart. Jesus, of course, aced this test. His response proved His heart was, and still is, pure and holy.

God allows us to experience hardship and to be tempted for the same reason. Temptation reveals the condition of our hearts. Once an area of sin is exposed, we can eradicate it with God's help. God uses these tough times of temptation to transform our hearts from depravity to devotion to Him alone.

Just as He helped Jesus resist Satan, our loving Father God promises to help us pass our tests of temptation.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

6 Ways God Helps When You're Tempted

1. God's Spirit intercedes on our behalf.

The Spirit of God takes up permanent residence in our hearts when we surrender to Jesus and receive salvation. He prays twenty-four seven to God the Father to advocate for our needs and help us to overcome enticement. Whether the temptation is the second piece of decadent dessert or bitterness from divorce, the Spirit knows your exact needs and asks God to supply a way to resist.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. (Romans 8:26-27 NLT)

2. God provides relevant and timely guidance.

Back in the days of the Old Testament, God promised to guide the prophet Isaiah and the nation of Israel. He still offers the same personal counsel to us today. His Spirit within us whispers wisdom into our hearts so we can choose the next correct step and steer clear of pitfalls.

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you, a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left. Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them, "Good riddance!" (Isaiah 30:21-22 NLT)

3. God's Word teaches and corrects.

God used men to write His Word and has perpetuated it through millennia so we may apply it to our lives today. But God's Word won't assist us from the bookshelf. Just like our bodies need food to stay strong, our spirits need the truth to stand up to temptation. We should study and memorize His Word, so it leaps to our defense whenever we're tempted.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT)

4. God gives us brothers and sisters in Christ to exhort and encourage.

We all belong to the family created by God through Jesus. He designed this community to be a support system for right living. God tells brothers and sisters to look out for each other and give aid in times of struggle. A timely word or gesture from a fellow believer can snatch you from the spell of Satan's lies and temptations.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2 NLT)

5. God offers a productive alternative to the temptation of sin.

It's been said that idleness is the devil's playground. Paul affirms this truth with an admonition to the Thessalonians to work so they wouldn't fall into temptation. It may be time to get busy if you find your defenses against sin weakening in your downtime.

Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people's business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. (2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 NLT)

6. God gives resurrection power to every follower of Jesus.

The power of Almighty God resides within us. Can anything surpass that power? We often live believing that we're helpless against the wiles of Satan. The truth, however, is that God's power is "everything" we need to live a completely holy life. How might our response to sin change if we truly believed this?

When we buy into this truth, we learn to call on God to provide the guaranteed way out at the first tantalizing whiff of sin.

For His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3 NASB)

Good News

Billy Sunday, professional baseball player and evangelist, said, "Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in." Satan seeks entry into our hearts through temptation. No one escapes his pressure.

The good news, though, is that God always provides help to resist. We don't need to fling open the door and allow Satan to pillage and destroy our lives. God's security system always warns and sends help to protect against every attempted break-in.

References: 1My Little Chickadee (motion picture) (1940) See Balzac 1; Clementina Graham 1; Wilde 25; Wilde 53

Annie Yorty writes and speaks to encourage others to perceive God’s person, presence, provision, and purpose in the unexpected twists and turns of life. Married to her high school sweetheart and living in Pennsylvania, she mothers a teen, two adult children (one with intellectual disabilities), and a furry beast labradoodle. She has written From Ignorance to Bliss: God’s Heart Revealed through Down Syndrome, and a devotional, 25 Symbols of Christmas: Finding Jesus. Please connect with her at AnnieYorty.com, Facebook, and Instagram.

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