Temptation - What does the Bible say?
- The devil prowls around, looking for opportune moments (of weakness/vulnerability) to come with temptation. (Luke 4:13; 1 Peter 5:8)
- Sin desires to have us, but we can master it! (I was once enslaved to sin; I am now set free to choose to rule over it.) (Genesis 4:7b)
- Being tempted is not a sinful or shameful thing. Jesus was tempted! (Luke 4:1-13)
- Jesus helps us during temptation.
Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18
To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Jude 24
- We can overcome, because the One who is in us is greater!
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Psalm 19:13a
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11
- God is faithful and will provide a way out.
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:18-20