by Ed Ostrom

Created on: September 17, 2009   Last Updated: September 19, 2009

Probably every child can identify with the scenario of mother baking a batch of delicious, mouth watering succulent monster oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The smell of them baking in the oven beings drooling to the mouth of a starving child. (At least the mind tells them they are starving, and the only thing that can satisfy that aching pit of their stomach is the tasting of one of those cookies. But mother has said No! But when mother is not looking a little hand reaches up and takes a handful of a chocolate gooey mess. And Oh it is soooooooo good!

How many of us have been there? We are tempted and we give in. Temptation is an every day possibility. We face it day in and day out. 1 Corinthians 10:13 declares No temptation has overtaken you expect such as is common to man, but God is faithful , who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you will be able to bear it.

Thinking of temptation, and the Biblical promise that we can overcome it, my mind goes back to me childhood. I see again the old Salvation Army Hall in my home town. At the front of the hall where the Sunday school met, stood Granny Weeks. She was a beautiful matron who touched the hearts of many a young waif like me. I can envision her some fifty years later playing her concertina and singing in a high soprano voice Yield not to temptation. For yielding is sin, each victory will help you some other to win, fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue, look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through (Horiato R. Palmer).

Every person that has lived has faced temptation. Temptation itself is not sin. It is what we choose to do with temptation that makes it sinful. If we give into it, and yield to it we are committing sin. When temptation comes our way we have a choice to make. We can choose to resist the temptation and not sin, or we can choose to surrender to the temptation, and find ourselves in the vanguard of sin, and ultimate failure. Temptation is not sin... Martin Luther is credited with saying: You can't stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop it from building a nest in your hair. You can't stop temptation from crossing your pathway but you can choose not to yield to it and give into it. . .

The Lord Jesus Christ knew what it was to be tempted. He was tempted in all points like we are yet without sin. Hebrews 4: 14-16 says Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:`1-13 record the dramatic encounter of Jesus with Satan. Jesus dealt with Satan, head on. He did not play around with the temptation .He did not entertain temptation but on each occasion He said It is written! He brought the devil back to the Word of God. He did not pussy foot around with temptation. He dealt with it immediately by referring to the Word of God. May we do the same when we are confronted by Satan and his henchmen. May we not yield to temptation but rather by God's grace may we withstand it and drive it back. Thank You Lord. Praise you! We can overcome temptation.

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