When You’re Tempted, God Wants to Help
By Rick Warren
“Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” Psalm 50:15 (NIV)
Do you ever feel alone when you’re struggling with temptation? You’re not! The Bible says God is ready to help.
In the Bible, Jesus gives you a prayer of deliverance to use when you’re tempted. He tells you to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13 ESV).
We often shorten that prayer to just one word: Help!
Prayers don’t have to start with fancy words like “our gracious heavenly Father.” When you need deliverance from temptation, you can get right to the point: “Help! Keep my eyes straight” or “Help! I don’t like the way my relative treats me, and I’m going to see her today” or “Help! Everything in me just wants to get back at him!”
The Bible is full of people who prayed for deliverance—like David, Daniel, Esther, Peter, and Paul. God was there to help them, and he’ll help you too. In fact, God hears and helps everyone who asks.
You may wonder, “Why can I expect God to help me when I pray the prayer of deliverance?” Because God has promised to help.
The Bible says, “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psalm 50:15 NIV). God doesn’t say you must have a long conversation with him. You can just say, “Help, God! I’m facing something now that willpower won’t get me through.”
He knows everything that’s going on in your life, and he’s sympathetic to your situation. He knows how irritating some people are to you; he knows about the things that tempt you.
The Bible says it very clearly: “[Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT).
Notice that the Bible says, “[Jesus] understands.” Why is Jesus sympathetic? Because he faced the same temptations that you face.
You may be thinking, “Wait a minute. Are you saying Jesus was tempted to get angry?” Yes, I am. “You’re telling me Jesus was tempted to have self-pity?” Yes. The Bible says he was tempted in all the ways you are, yet he did not sin.
Because Jesus was tempted but didn’t sin, he’s just who you need to help you overcome your own temptations. In fact, he wants to help you.
When you’re tempted, God isn’t angry with you. He’s not going to scold you. On the contrary, he wants you to come boldly to him! He says, “I’m here to help.”
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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