‍Devotional from Pastor Tim

Temptation is something every believer experiences, yet it often carries unnecessary shame with it. Many assume that if they are tempted, something must be wrong with them, that they are unspiritual or still defined by sin. Scripture paints a different picture. Temptation is not a sign of spiritual failure. It is a normal experience in a fallen world. Even Jesus was tempted, and He never sinned. The presence of temptation is not the problem; what we believe about it often is.

Temptation does not come because sin owns you. It comes because sin has lost its ownership but still tries to influence you. We still live in a broken world and inhabit flesh that can be appealed to. That does not mean sin rules you. It simply means you are human. Sin’s voice is persuasive because it appeals to legitimate desires with illegitimate solutions, promising relief, satisfaction, or control, but it never delivers. Instead, it produces shame and condemnation, neither of which comes from God.

The real battle in temptation is not behavior, but belief. Beneath every temptation is a lie about who you are or what you need. Sin always appeals to a false version of your identity, suggesting that fulfillment or comfort can be found apart from Christ. Grace exposes that lie by reminding us of the truth: you are united to Christ, and His life is now your life. You are not a slave responding to every impulse; you are a new creation learning to live from what is already true.

God does not respond to your temptation with disappointment or pressure. He responds with provision. Scripture tells us that He always provides a way of escape, not by demanding more willpower, but by pointing us back to truth. We are not fighting for victory; we are living from it. Resistance flows from rest, not fear. We don’t say no to sin to become free; we say no because we already are.

Today, let temptation be a reminder—not of your sinfulness, but of dependence. You are not defined by the thoughts that pass through your mind, but by the life that dwells within you. In Christ, you are free, secure, and empowered by grace, and grace teaches us to say no without shame.

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13