Still Water Moments: God Knows the Struggle is Real!
1 Corinthians 10:13a No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.
Our focus scripture tells us we all struggle with something: anger, overeating, overspending, etc. There are also the struggles people are hesitant to share, such as sexual sins outside of marriage, pornography, cutting, alcoholism, etc. For the sake of clarity, when I say struggle within this month’s devotional, I am referring to having a particular issue that proves to be a temptation for you and you have the desire to try not to succumb to it as opposed to willingly partaking in the temptation and not caring what the bible has to say about it. With this form of struggling, when you do fall into temptation, you typically feel convicted afterwards.
Satan wants to isolate us because he knows we can’t withstand temptation on our own. James 1:14-16 says, “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” This scripture tells us his ultimate goal is to see our downfall and if he can get us to repeatedly succumb to temptation, he gets closer and closer to his goal. He is patient and strategic in how he goes about attempting to achieve his deadly goal in your life. One tactic he uses is to try to isolate you from God using shame. While God will never leave us nor forsake us, our intimacy with Him can be weakened when we spend less time in His presence. Therefore, Satan will bombard us with lies that sound like, “Something must be really wrong with you if you struggle like this, your case is hopeless and can’t be helped”, “God’s always angry at you so why talk to Him?”, or “What you struggle with is so horrible, you’re the worst person ever! Surely God can’t love someone like you!”. If you start to believe the lies, you’ll begin to think you are the only one who struggles the way you do with this particular sin when the focus scripture says it is common. You will be hesitant to go to God for help with your struggle and you will descend into the depths of shame and embarrassment and eventually avoid going to God because of it. In time, your aversion to going to the Father grows, as does your isolation. This is when the enemy will step in with full force because he knows 1:1, we are no match for him. In this state, it is easier for him to rip us apart as his goal is to steal, kill and destroy, (John 10:10).
Instead of playing a willing part in the enemy’s plan to destroy us with temptation, let’s tap into God’s promises and provision for us. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” This is one of many scriptures that says God is with us, furthermore He is there to help when we are in trouble, which includes facing temptation. In order to experience His strength when we are tempted, there are a couple of things we need to do. First, if we haven’t already, we need to ask for forgiveness for the times we’ve fallen. Next, when asking for His help, we have to be transparent with God and say, “I want to [fill in the blank with the temptation] but I know that it is wrong. I need you to help me not succumb to it because I know I can’t do it alone.” Then, we must follow His instructions. The remainder of our focus scripture, 1 Cor. 10:13 goes on to say, “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.” This scripture tells us He will make a way for us to resist the temptation. Taking the action to resist won’t always feel good or be easy. Strength training is not easy. While you are lifting the weight, you feel the tension in your muscles as you complete each rep. Similarly, resisting won’t be easy, but each time you do, He is strengthening your spiritual endurance. Relying on His grace and help while following His instruction reminds us that we are weak independent of Him. Most importantly, we grow closer to the Father each time we go to Him when we feel tempted. This becomes another way we know Him as our protector.
Lastly, having a trusted support system is also helpful in overcoming temptation. It’s understood if you don’t want to share your struggle with everyone, in fact, that is wise as even some Christians do not have the maturity or experience to handle certain issues with the confidentiality and discretion it deserves as it should be someone who will listen without judgment and be a prayer and support while you go through your healing journey. I am grateful for the saints that are transparent and willing to tell their stories of struggle as it is usually done from a place of victory and have overcome it and/or learned how to properly manage it. Researching and finding resources, (books, articles, videos), of those that have overcome a struggle similar to yours can be helpful as you take note of what action steps they took to overcome, and you are also encouraged to know you are not alone and that it is possible to be victorious over the struggle. As you consider who you can confide in and what resources can encourage you, begin by having the conversation with God first. He is your best friend and the One most equipped to support and guide you through the healing process.
Reflection: If God is omniscient, can we really hide anything from Him? Do I take daily action steps to invite Him to help me overcome temptation?
