Temptation is very common to man. In fact, temptation is so common all believers around the world face the same temptations. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13,
"No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted above what you can endure, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it."
We should be encouraged to know that God gives us a way to escape the temptations we face. However, what do we do when we fall into temptation and give in to sin?
Encourage you
Friend, I am here to help you get up if you have fallen. Here are the things you should do so you can get back on the right track again.
1) True repentance brings God's forgiveness
Dear reader, there's no other way to go. If you want to get back on the right track, you'll need (and want) to repent of your sin.
Temptation is not a sin in itself, but giving in to it is. We need to acknowledge the sins we committed and repent of them before God so that He will forgive us. We can't ignore the wrong we did and act as if nothing happened – God won't forgive them unless we confess them as sin.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
2) When God forgives you, you're totally forgiven
No matter what sin you've committed, if you've truly repented and God has forgiven you, you're fully forgiven.
When God forgives us, He throws our sins into the deepest part of the sea and forgets it. He doesn't bring it up again to condemn us. Rather, He totally forgives so that we can be free to live for Him in gratitude. If we live according to His will, we're assured that there's no condemnation for us.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
3) You can "go and sin no more"
In Christ, we have the opportunity to live our lives freed from the power of sin. Because we are in Him and under His Lordship, we are no longer obliged to fulfill the desires of the flesh.
Have you repented of your sin? Be encouraged by what the Lord Jesus tells you:
"Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." (see John 8:11)
Bonus: Live free
Live free, my friend. Don't go back to what you've done and condemn yourself. Instead of looking back to bash yourself for giving in to temptation, realize that you can actually overcome temptation by allowing God to change your desires. Why desires? James 1:14 tells us,
"But each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed."
Whatever we desire will tempt us. If we allow God to change our desires, we will always look for things that please Him, not ourselves.
I leave you with this final exhortation:
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
