The Choice is Yours
“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 that you can endure.”1
“Why did God let this happen?!” This was the question I heard from a young woman who had fallen into fornication and ended up pregnant. While this is not an uncommon question when things don’t go how we planned in life, let’s take a moment to shed some light on this situation.
No one is exempt from temptation. We live in a sin-stricken and broken world, so everyone will experience a tempting situation at one time or another. While we may not be able to avoid temptation, God will always give us a way out! However, this does not guarantee that we will resist temptation, because ultimately it is our choice to walk away.
William Barclay says, “Temptation is not meant to make us fail; it is meant to confront us with a situation out of which we emerge stronger than we are.”
The Lord is there 24/7 and will be your strength when you ask Him to. Psalm 28:7 says, “He is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trusted in him, and he helped me…”
What we must understand, however, is when we choose to give into temptation, it will always carry consequences. This goes for any action we take in life… it will always bring either good or bad consequences. Is God to blame when things end up badly based on OUR decisions? Absolutely not. God has given us all freedom of choice, and we are responsible for the consequences of those choices.
The next time temptation comes knocking at your door, don’t forget that God has left the back door unlocked for you. You can choose not to invite temptation in! James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The more you practice saying “no”, the stronger you become in Christ.
Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for loving me so much that you give me the way out anytime temptation arises. I ask that you give me the strength and courage to make the right choices, and that those choices would glorify you. Forgive me for the times I have blamed you for the product of my actions. Thank you for your continued mercy and grace in my life. Help me never take it for granted. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT).
All articles on this website are written by
Richard (Dick) Innes unless otherwise stated.