When Temptation Is Waiting for You Today

Good morning. This is Morning Prayer from Bearing Fruit.

Jesus had eaten nothing for forty days when He was tempted in the wilderness. He was hungry, and the first temptation was about bread. If you already know what's going to pull at you today, the letter to the Hebrews says He understands it from the inside. Let's bring this to God together.

In Hebrews chapter four, verses fifteen and sixteen, we read this.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:15-16

Hebrews was written to believers who were worn down and under pressure, and some of them were close to giving up. So the writer keeps pointing them to Jesus as their high priest. In Israel, a priest stood between God and the people. He was taken from among them, and he knew what weakness felt like.

Jesus is that kind of priest. He was tempted in all the ways we're tempted. In the wilderness the devil came at Him three times, and each time Jesus answered with Scripture. The first time, He said this.

Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Matthew 4:4

He felt the pull, and He didn't give way. So nothing that pulls at you this morning will shock Him. He's been tempted, and He stood.

For one of us, it's the bottle at the back of the cupboard, and the long evening after work. For someone else, it's the phone in the dark after the house has gone to bed. Or it's the sharp reply that's always ready when a certain person walks in. You know your own. You may have been fighting it for years.

Look at what the writer says next. Come to the throne of grace with confidence. God doesn't wait until you've beaten it. You come now, and you find grace to help in your time of need. That time of need might be ten o'clock tonight. The throne of grace will be open then too.

Paul wrote this to the believers in Corinth.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Paul doesn't say the pull will go away. He says God is faithful, and there'll be a way to stand. Often the way out is very ordinary. You leave the room. You text a friend and tell the truth. You go to bed.

On the night He was arrested, Jesus found His closest friends asleep in the garden. He said to them,

Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Matthew 26:41

He knew how weak they were, and He told them to pray. So praying now, before the moment comes, is part of standing.

And if you gave in yesterday, you can still come this morning. Jesus was without sin so that He could be the sacrifice for ours. He died for our sins and rose again, and Hebrews says He always lives to pray for His people. That's why it's called a throne of grace. You come because of Him.

Let's pray. You can pray these words with me, out loud or in your heart.

Father, I come to You through Jesus, my high priest. He was tempted and never sinned, and then He died for my sins. You raised Him from the dead, and He's praying for me even now. So this morning I come to You with confidence, with nothing to hide behind.

You're holy, and You're kind. Your Son didn't stand at a distance from our weakness. He came close enough to feel it. When the devil tempted Him with bread, and with a quicker way to glory, He chose You. He trusted Your word over His own hunger. I want that kind of trust, and I don't have it on my own. Nothing about me surprises You. Thank You that Your throne is a throne of grace.

You know what's going to pull at me today. I know it too. Some of it I've fought for a long time, and I'm tired of fighting. Some of it I've stopped fighting, and I've told myself it doesn't matter. I've made room for it. I've kept it secret. I've given in, and then stayed away from You out of shame. Forgive me, Father. Jesus carried these sins to the cross, and in Him I'm forgiven.

So I'm asking for help now, before the moment comes. Your word says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” I need that grace today. Give me a clear head when I'm tired, because that's when I'm weakest. Make me honest with someone I trust, so this doesn't stay in the dark. By Your Spirit, fill my mind with Your word, the way Jesus answered from Scripture in the wilderness. And when I want what pulls at me more than I want You, change what I want.

Your word tells me You're faithful. “He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.” I'm trusting You for that. I can't make myself strong for the whole day. I'm leaning on You for the next hour, and then the one after it. Jesus told His sleepy friends to watch and pray. So I'm watching, and I'm praying, and I'll keep coming back to You through the day.

I pray for others in the same fight this morning. For someone counting the days since they last gave in, and afraid of losing count. For someone who's never told a soul what they're fighting. Give them courage to tell someone safe. And for anyone who fell last night and woke up ashamed, let them know Your throne is still open to them.

Father, I know where I'm weak, and You know it better. Walk with me through the hours ahead. When the pull comes, remind me that Jesus felt it too and didn't give way. Show me the way out You've promised, and give me the sense to take it, even if it's small and ordinary. If I need to leave the room, help me leave. If I need to tell someone the truth, help me pick up the phone. If I fall, don't let me hide from You. Bring me straight back to the throne of grace. And I'll pray the words Your Son taught us. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

In Jesus' name, amen.

Take a moment of quiet now, and bring Him whatever's in front of you today.

Hear this blessing from the end of Jude's letter.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.

Jude 1:24-25