I recently read a post that led me to this idea about dealing with temptations and sin. I have seen the mindset of many in the upcoming generation that want a “get out of sin free card.”
The American mindset seems to be that your sin can define who you are, and that is okay. And I suppose if you want to be known by your sin, then you can live in that mindset. Instead of dealing with their temptations and facing their problems, they would rather God “remove the temptation from them.” And when God doesn’t do that for them, they give in and decide He accepts their sin. I see this with many common sins in our world today. The world preaches acceptance and allowing your sin to define you, but that’s not what the Bible teaches.
Notice in Genesis, God allowed Adam and Eve to be tempted, and He knew their temptation would lead to sin. He created a perfect world and give rules for their protection, but in breaking His rules, they committed sin against God. Their punishment was being removed from His presence and leaving the garden.
When Jesus was on the earth, He was not free of temptation. We see this in Matthew 4:1-11, when Jesus is led into the wilderness to be TESTED (NIV); the Holman says TEMPTED. If God allowed Jesus to be tempted, tested and tried, and Jesus prevailed, why should we expect special favor?
For a Christian, the point of temptation is not to give way to sin, but it is to strengthen your faith, strengthen your ability to rely on God, strengthen your resistance.
Think about it this way:
Alcoholics are tempted to drink anytime they see a menu in a restaurant.
Pornography addicts are tempted to click on a site anytime they use the Internet.
The Christian mindset needs to be: It’s not about giving into the temptation; it’s about the struggle and strengthening of your faith. I don’t want to be defined by my sins and failures. I want to be defined by the God who gives me the strength to flee temptation when it arises.
You’ve been given the strength you need for today through Christ. Trust that what God has allowed you to struggle with. He will provide a way for you to overcome it every time you are tempted.