¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand [resist]. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

1 Corinthians 10:13 [NLT]

This happens to be one of those mornings/days where I suppose God has a different agenda than what I wanted to reflect on. As I was reading the bible, I felt reminded of the verse from 1 Corinthians 10:13. I obviously didn’t memorize the bible verses by hard, but in all my years as a believer, I do have some memory of some of the verses that I have come across. Anyway, when I was reading the verse, I could feel the Holy Spirit speaking to me about what it means to deal with the temptations that we experience/face every single day. I don’t care how old you are, I believe that as human beings, we will all experience urges and temptations throughout our lives here on earth.

Temptations will Always be a Part of Our Lives

So that’s where I want to begin today’s reflection for our daily bread. I used to think that, “if only I could eliminate those temptations and urges, then I will never have to worry about falling into temptations again.” But that is not how life works. We can never really fully avoid those temptations and urges that we would experience in our daily lives. Yes, it is possible to sometimes “run from it” like the bible says. For example, if you know that you are in a heated conflict that is about to get more heated, maybe the best thing to do in that situation would be to walk away, and let things cool down. That way, cooler heads will prevail. That is one of the things that we can do, certainly. But it is also dependent on the circumstances. It is not always that we can avoid our temptations/urges like this. What happens when we find ourselves in a situation where we are faced with a temptation/urge and we have no where to run? What then do we do?

It is after I began to realize that I can’t always run from my temptations and urges that I really learned how to stand my ground whenever possible. I remember separate periods of in my life over the last few years where I was able to make a stand against those temptations and urges. It honestly felt really good know that I was able to resist those temptations (by the grace of God). I also know that it is only because of His strength that I was able to face and resist those temptations.

You are Not Alone

The very first step in learning to resist and deal with your own temptations in life is to recognize that you are not alone. You’re not the only one facing these urges or temptations (whatever it may be). I used to wonder if I was the only one who faced the kinds of daily urges and temptations that I had in my life. But as it turns out, I wasn’t actually the only one. In fact, there were (still are) many people who also experienced the same kind of temptations and urges in their lives. I just thought I was alone because nobody dared to talk about their own struggles with their temptations/urges. But when I started to open up and ask if anybody else had experienced similar urges and temptations, I was so surprised at first that there were so many people who also felt the same way. Today? I am no longer surprised. I know for a fact that I am no longer alone in my daily struggles with my temptations/demons.

Yes, You Can Resist

This is the next thing that I also want to let you in on. Yes, it is actually possible to resist those temptations and urges. I know how difficult it can seem in the moment when you’re feeling that urge pushing you towards saying something, or doing something, or behaving in a certain way. Trust me. I have been there more times that I could ever count. But I am also here to show/remind you that it is possible to resist those urges and temptations. If I can, if others can, then so can you too. It might not be easy at first, and yes, you might even fail and given in to those temptations/urges a few times before you can finally keep it under control; but the point being, if you do not give up, you will eventually find the strength (by the grace of God) and will to resist those temptations/urges. The most important point here is to learn to be patient and forgiving with yourself when you have tried and failed the first few times. Nobody succeeds 100% of the time on their first attempts.

How God Can Help Us to Resist Those Temptations in Our Daily Lives

By adapting what the bible is trying to teach us about managing/dealing with our daily temptations, I was able to learn THREE broad ways of helping to ensure that we can become better/stronger over time in dealing with our temptations/urges. Please know that even for me, I still experience temptations every single day. Even as I am sitting here typing this, there are thoughts and ideas in my mind suggesting certain things that presents as temptations and urges for me. And I am still doing the daily work of resisting those temptations. Some days felt easier, and other days would be much harder for me to resist still. But when I look back upon my journey since 2017, I must admit that I am in a much better place today than I was back then. So, let’s start this discussion with the very first thing that you can do.

By Developing Greater Self-awareness

One of the most important benefits/results of doing this daily bread entries since I started in 2017, was that over time, I was able to develop this really solid understanding of myself. I went from someone who lacks self-awareness, to someone who has a really strong sense of self-awareness. But again, remember, the work is never done. To develop self-awareness requires daily work. By developing greater self-awareness will help us to:

• become better at recognizing the people and situations that will give you trouble (i.e. what are your triggers/stressors?),
• it will also help you to develop a much clearer conscience and a understanding of whether what you are about to say/do is right or wrong (while also removing ignorance),

What is really happening is that by having a deeper level of self-awareness will help you to eliminate all that ignorance. Therefore, you will not end up walking blindly into any situation only to discover that you are doing something wrong.

There are many different ways to help develop a greater level of self-awareness (or mindfulness as people like to call it). But I have found that keeping a daily journal/diary helps the most. By writing down my thoughts and feelings everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, it would give me a chance to really understand what I am thinking about, and all the kinds of thoughts that I might usually experience on a subconscious level.

By Relying Upon God’s Strength & Grace

I cannot emphasise this enough. A very big part of being able to face and resist those daily temptations and urges is only because of God’s help on a daily basis. If not for Him helping me everyday, I know that I might’ve given in to many of those temptations/urges. Even as I become stronger over time, there will always be temptations/urges that are stronger than the ones I had experienced in the past.

But every single time that I am faced with a temptation/urge, I would remind myself that God has already given me everything that I need to resist the temptation. Just like in the verse above, I trust that God will not allow me to be tempted beyond my ability to resist it. That said, I know that I still relied upon His strength and grace more times than I can ever count when it comes to facing my temptations and urges head-on.

By Turning to Our Brothers/Sisters in Christ

I haven’t been back into a church for many years, so unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of experience with this. But I do remember a very distinct experience when I was briefly part of a care group. And in one of those weekly care group sessions, the topic was about daily temptations. And it was during that session that I finally felt like I am not alone in my own struggles as a Christian. But I must admit, it did feel a little odd for me at first. Because being Asian/Singaporean, these days are often not something we would openly discuss. So that session itself did take me by surprise. It was initially a little uncomfortable for me to talk about my own temptations/urges. But after I heard everyone in the group talking about their own struggles, I began to open up as well.

What did I learn from this personal experience? That there is power in community. There is power when believers come together to acknowledge each other’s struggles with their own temptations/urges and then providing the kind of spiritual support and encouragement to one another. And today, I feel like maybe the Spirit of God is telling me that maybe it is time for me to take that step to find my own spiritual community again. Maybe it is also time for me to go back to church.

Closing Thoughts/Reflections

Wow! Today’s daily bread has indeed been rather powerful and meaningful too. Even after I finish today’s entry, I feel like there is still more to think about. So I’ll probably set aside some time tonight to do my own private journal entry. It has been a couple of days since I’ve done a private entry. I feel so blessed by my own daily bread entry today. I hope that you feel the very same way after reading today’s entry. Alright, let’s pray.

Personal Prayer for Today

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for revealing Your powerful message to us today. Thank You for speaking to us today about the different kinds temptations/urges that we are facing and struggling with on a daily basis in our lives.

Thank You for reminding us that we are never alone in our own struggles. That there are many others who also share the same/similar struggles on a daily basis. And because we are not alone in our struggles, we can take comfort knowing that just like others who have been able to resist and overcome their temptations/urges, so can we.

Thank You God for your strength and grace when it comes to facing our daily temptations. We know that sometimes we can feel weak in the face of our own temptations/urges, but You have given us strength to face it. But not only that, You have also given us everything we need to overcome those temptations.

Last but not the least, thank You for reminding us that we can also look to our fellow brothers- and sisters-in-christ to talk openly and candidly about the kinds of struggles that we are facing on a daily basis. By giving us this community, we can also find support and strength from within this community.

We thank You Lord, and we will continue to give You all of the praise and all the glory.

Amen.