“When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Jesus said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers” (Luke 10:30). Jerusalem represented the place of God’s favor, whereas Jericho was cursed by Joshua when God leveled its walls (See Jos 6:26). 

The road connecting the two cities was known to be full of robbers. So, the question arises: ‘Was this man’s intention to travel part of the way, then get off?’ The Bible doesn’t say, but one thing we do know is that God goes to great lengths to keep us from going down the road to temptation and getting hurt. 

And even with all His safeguards in place, we still manage to get into trouble. First, we stop listening to the promptings of His Spirit. Second, we’re unwilling to pray about certain desires with a submitted heart. Third, we’re not interested in talking to a trusted friend who will hold you accountable. Fourth, we don’t even want to know what the Bible says about the matter. 

In doing that, we have unilaterally decided to quench the Spirit so we can indulge our fleshly impulses. Someone once said, “Remember, there is always free food on the end of a fishhook.” But, while temptation promises freedom, it ends up costing us. David’s affair wrecked his family. Real freedom isn’t about having the liberty to gratify our every appetite; it’s about being free to refuse becoming a slave to unhealthy desires. 

The battle against temptation is noble, but if all we do is struggle to repress our desires, eventually they will wear us down. We need to maintain a clear mental image of the kind of person God wants us to be and cooperate with His Spirit to become that person.