How does temptation bring suffering

Therefore, not all forms of suffering are avoided, but there are many of us who read that paragraph and cringed at having to face any of those things. The idea of suffering through one of those things is unthinkable. And yet, the door in which a believer and any human, for that matter must pass through from time to time is suffering. Suffering, when there is meaning or purpose behind it, gives hope to those who are in the midst of it.

It means to endure extreme emotion or pain. The description of the suffering Jesus endured on the night of his betrayal uses this word. It is interesting that temptation and physical pain are described using the same Greek word.

Paul writes that no temptation is uncommon to man. The fact that Jesus endured temptation and came out sinless should be a hopeful sign that we can have that freedom, too, in Christ. But we must endure suffering, for that is what temptation is. To give into temptation, whatever it may be, is not suffering—it is the avoidance of suffering.

As believers we are called to suffer in order to be free. And we can find purpose and meaning in suffering through temptation because that is the place where, if we choose, we can meet Christ. He knows our pain. He knows our struggle. He seeks relationship with us in that struggle. Jesus gives us this gift. You are not alone. Anticipated joy motivated Jesus and it serves as a motivator for us as well. What was that joy for Jesus?

The promised resurrection and his exaltation. That hope helped him stay the course. What is the joy set before us as we endure temptation? The warmth of preserved fellowship with God and those closest to us. The joy of becoming just a little bit more like Jesus.

The satisfaction of experiencing the grace and mercy of Jesus as sufficient for today. The sweetness of a clear conscience. And the strengthening of our spiritual muscles—the more consistently we exercise self-control, the stronger our resolve to make right choices will be.

Resisting temptation may feel like death, but we are not actually shedding our blood in the process as Jesus did. This statement may bring minimal comfort in the midst of fleshly thoughts, emotions, and bodily pressures screaming for relief. The suffering he experienced from temptation was greater than ours ever will be.

Satan attacked him with savage trials that were uniquely crafted for him. These perspectives motivate us to turn to Jesus when we are tempted. They form our prayers for help in our time of need and encourage us to obey him as temptation mounts.

What about tomorrow? If you get tired and worn down by temptation tomorrow, he has fresh grace and mercy for you then, too. And doing good can certainly bring more temptation: the temptation to overly enjoy praise, esteem and fame. This can become a slippery slope that leads to pride: believing that we are good because people perceive us as good.

Festival of Social Science — Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom. Become an author Sign up as a reader Sign in. What is the true nature of temptation? Mathew Schmalz , College of the Holy Cross. Whenever a sinful suggestion comes to mind, we have a binary decision to make. We either refuse immediately, or we do not. If we refuse, it may well go away at once.

But if we continue to reject it, it will not take root. What resources does God give us to overcome temptation? Jesus placed a very high priority on prayer. This command is just as applicable today as it was then. We need to memorize this verse and use it often. Another important lesson in this passage is that it is not a sin to be tempted.

Jesus was tempted just as we are, though He never succumbed. This is a vital truth to hold onto, for if we mistakenly think it is a sin to have tempting thoughts and desires, we will come to see our situation as hopeless, give up resisting, fail to overcome, and live in perpetual defeat and discouragement. Jesus also placed a high priority on the Holy Scriptures. He believed that the Scriptures were inspired by God and fully trustworthy. He had immersed Himself in them and was therefore able to correctly discern the nature of the temptations He faced in life and the proper way to respond.

Like Him, we also need to regularly read, study, memorize, and meditate on the Scriptures. Spending time daily in the Bible and prayer is not optional. Jesus especially depended on Holy Spirit, who strengthened Him when He was tempted in the desert.

If the Holy Spirit and His power were essential to Jesus in fighting temptation, how much more is that true for us! Unfortunately, many Christians today are not filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore lack spiritual power in their lives. Thus they experience frequent defeat when tempted. Although every true Christian has the Holy Spirit residing within, every Christian does not necessarily have the Spirit reigning within. To be filled with the Spirit—to have Him reigning in us—means consciously placing ourselves under His control and keeping in step with His leading through the day.

As we do this, the Spirit will be able to lead us because we are no longer resisting Him. But as long as we are trying to retain control of our lives, we hinder His leading and limit His power in our lives. How will the Spirit lead us? As His name suggests, the Holy Spirit will always be seeking to lead us into holiness—Christlikeness.

What does that look like? The life of Christ was one of sacrificial, wholehearted love for God and love for others.

This is manifested in us in the fruit of the Spirit Gal. An important part of the process of becoming like Christ is putting to death the remaining sin in our lives, and this is a primary operation of the Holy Spirit. In this context, we can call on Him to help us fight off any temptations that confront us during the day. He will lead us to say no to fleshy desires and empower us to do so. Using hyperbole to emphasize this point, Jesus said,. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.

For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Paul echoes this in Rom. The devil will attack us at our weak points, not our strong ones. None of us is so spiritually strong that we are invincible, and the implicit or explicit assumption that we are so is very dangerous. The devil knows exactly where to tempt you. Like a master fisherman, he will bait his hook according to the appetite of the fish.

For Achan, it was silver, gold, and a beautiful cloak Josh. Even more shocking, God actually appeared twice to Solomon, who was the wisest man of his day, yet later in life he succumbed to the temptation of women and idolatry 1 Kings Do you know your heart well enough to be aware of the areas where you are particularly vulnerable?

I trust so, for such awareness enables us to avoid situations, places, and people that may be a source of temptation. At times, we may need to seek counsel from a wise and godly pastor or elder or an accountability partner for wisdom and prayer support in overcoming temptation. There are some situations when temptation is so intense that we may need to add fasting to our prayers.

The condition of our hearts determines the direction of our lives. This is a vitally important step toward victory, for, as E. And it is a self-defeating idea to believe. He can, however, project ideas into our minds. Fiery darts in ancient Roman warfare were fired at enemy soldiers to set their wooden shields ablaze and make them easier to overcome in combat. When fiery thoughts of temptation assail our minds, whether from the devil or from our own flesh, we need to immediately cast them out—refuse to think about them.