One of my favorite scriptures is “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). It’s a truth about temptation that could be stated this way: You are not as strong as you think you are.
The world would say self-confidence is a great trait. And it is good to have confidence. But it’s misplaced if it’s all self-confidence. If you are in Christ, you should have a God-confidence. That is, you’re confident in God working through you.
Self-confidence, by itself, can be a bad trait. Because the tendency is, the more self-confident you are, the less and less you depend on God. That’s why Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12, explained how God showed His perfect strength through Paul’s weakness, his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul concluded, “I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me…. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). He was not self-confident, he was confident in Christ, because he knew his own weaknesses and limitations.
There’s a really great scripture in Proverbs 16 that I think this is based on. You know it well. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Think of those in the Bible who were self-confident. Peter boldly promised he would follow Jesus even to the death. His self-confidence deflated when Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him (see John 13:37-38).
In Revelation 3, the church at Laodicea said they were wealthy and had need of nothing. But Jesus said, “You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). Their self-evaluation was very different from Christ’s evaluation.
But there is a hopeful truth about temptation from 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
The temptations are going to come, and as long as we’re in this world, which is temporarily controlled by Satan, we will be tempted. But God gives you a way to escape temptation. You just need to look for that escape route and hightail it out of there as quickly as possible.
By the way, temptations are common; they are not unusual. They happen to everyone who has a fallen nature. And we all have unique areas in which we’re tempted. I bet you have a hunch as to what those areas are in your life. But our faithful God will make a way for you to escape. Just make sure you look for the way of escape that He makes, and then take it.
What does that mean? Sometimes you have to use your legs—turn around and run, like Joseph did from Potiphar’s wife (see Genesis 39). Other times, it’s to change the channel. Go to a different website. Get off the computer. Stop talking to that person. Don’t go near that place. God gives you a way of escape. Take it.
Temptation will knock at the door. Don’t invite it in. When Satan knocks, ask Jesus, “Would You answer that, please?” Call upon the name of the Lord. You’ll be surprised what a simple, heartfelt prayer during a moment of temptation can yield. That’s God-confidence.
