Temptation
“Then was Jesus…tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1).
“He is able to succour them that are tempted”
(Hebrews 2:18).
Never lose sight of the fact that your Lord has walked the same pathway as His people. He was not exempt from temptation — in fact we read that, “He Himself hath suffered being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). To know that the Lord Jesus Himself has passed this test is a great comfort to the sorely tried child of God.
The devil is a master at tempting the believer, but he himself has a master. What a source of strength it is to know that God’s Word declares that “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). As Christ overcame temptation, so He will give strength to His people to overcome, and He will do this because of His faithfulness. Temptation is common to all believers, but grace to resist the devil with all his subtle approaches is available from the “God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10).
