Tempted? Ask God for Help

It’s amazing how we can be so quick to condemn what someone else has done yet rationalize compromised behavior in our own lives. The interesting thing about temptation is that it is, well, tempting.

Jesus said we should pray, "Don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13). In this prayer we are asking God to guide us so we will not get out of His will and unnecessarily place ourselves in the way of temptation. We’re saying, "Lord, don’t let us be tempted above our capacity to resist."

He won’t, of course, because the Bible says, "God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Yet sometimes those so-called gray areas come along, and we wonder whether it’s okay for a Christian to do certain things. Here’s a little litmus test to apply when that happens. First, pray about it and bring it into the clear light of the presence of God. If you can’t pray about something you’re about to do and say "hallowed be Your name" over it, then don’t do it.

Second, ask yourself, "How would this look if another Christian were doing this?" Would it look wrong? Would it have what the Bible describes as the appearance of evil? If so, then don’t do it.

Third, pray that you won’t fall into temptation. You can’t go through life without temptation, but you can pray, "Lord, don’t let me foolishly put myself unnecessarily in the way of going astray."

You can appeal to God to place a guard over your eyes, ears, mouths, feet, and hands and what you say and hear and do.