SPIRITUAL PRIDE

I Cor. 10:12-13 If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

We are our own worst enemies when it comes to understanding our spiritual strength. We tend to think we are mature and strong enough to not fall into temptation. We see others do it and shake our heads. We judge them for their weakness and maybe even question their salvation. We pat ourselves on the back and relish in the knowledge that we would never do such a thing. Such thinking is dangerous. Sin is a very powerful and subtle enemy. It can suck us into its grasp without us scarcely knowing what hit us. We need to recognize that we all are prone to sin, to wander away from the God we love. We are never going to live sin-free lives here on earth, no matter how hard we try or how good our intentions are.

But, we are not helpless victims in the face of temptation. Everyone faces the same temptations we do, whether they admit it or not. We tend not to discuss our weaknesses, those things that draw us away from God. We want others to see us as we want to be more than we do who we really are.

We serve a God who is faithfully in love with us. He doesn't leave us hanging to fight our temptations alone. He always is there to help us and provide for us a way to resist our temptations. He may use other people to help us, the nudging of His Spirit, His Word, or something we hear or read. He will never let us be tempted beyond our ability to withstand. He gives us ample amount of resources so that we can choose to resist the temptations we encounter. All we have to do is take advantage of what God provides. Sin is always a choice we make.

When you encounter temptations to sin today, think about it. If you go ahead and sin, it's because you want to, not because you have to. God has given you the resources you need to not sin, if you will only use them. The true strength of character is not how we are able to stand on our own two feet and fight, it's how we are able to be honest about our weaknesses and utilize the resources God gives us to withstand our temptations.