“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:13

We are constantly bombarded with temptations to satisfy the lusts of the flesh. The images we see, the thoughts that come into our heads, the materialism that surrounds us—they all appeal to our natural desires. But the Lord tells us to resist temptation. Some people wonder why they can’t just become immune to temptations, why they have to constantly fight. I want you to know, beloved one, that God uses temptation to do something powerful in your life. As you resist temptation, you become stronger.

Know that God is going to get you through the temptation and give you victory. He is going to bring you to the other side of the mountain, but it is important that you resist, because as you do, you get stronger. Think about bodybuilders. How do they build such muscles? Through what is called resistance training. They push their muscles against weight, and as their muscles are being resisted by the weight, their muscles are being built up.

God actually uses temptation in our lives to make us powerful. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the first thing that God did in Jesus’ life after He was baptized in the Jordan River was lead Him into the wilderness to be tempted. Think about that. Right after God said,

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17), He led Yeshua into a place of temptation. And what happened as a result? Yeshua came out of that experience in the power of the Spirit and began ministering throughout the region (Luke 4:14).

All of us will experience temptation. I want to encourage you to resist it because God is going to make you strong as you do so. It may take time, but you are going to get the victory, you are going to get tough, and you are going to get happy and free. Resist in Jesus’ name.

Father God, I thank You that no matter what temptation I face, You will provide the way of escape so I will be able to endure it. And I thank You that You are using those times to make me stronger. Cause me to grow in the power of Your Spirit as I resist the darkness.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Revelation (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2020), Used by permission.