In Matthew 26:41 Jesus warned His disciples— “Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.” – James 1:13-14
“No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13
“For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” – Hebrews 2:18
Jesus experienced intense temptation but never gave in. Now He wants to help us to also have victory over temptation.We are to withstand temptation when we are tested so we will can grow more spiritually.
“My brothers and sisters, consider
it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know
that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its
perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in
anything.” – James 1:2-4
Temptation isn’t sin—it only arouses our interest in sin by making it look
so attractive.
“Therefore consider carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise” – Ephesians 5:15
Temptation becomes increasingly
strong the longer you wait before turning your back on it. It’s like standing
on the peak of a mountain as you are tempted to go down one side into the
valley of sin. The further you walk in the direction of the sin the more
difficult it is to climb back up that slope so you may get to the side of holy
living. Usually when a person doesn’t resist the initial temptations, they will
continue down the slope until they finally have crossed the line into the
valley of sin.
(For example, assume someone is attracted to unwholesome movies. For them the
peak of temptation may be when they are choosing to expose themselves to movie
ads. Once they see an appealing ad, it may be just a matter of time until they
have rationalized seeing the movie.)