We look to everything this world has to offer — including food — to fill us. And if we’re not careful, trying to fill ourselves with too much of anything can turn to an act of sin. We overindulge out of a desire to fill the emptiness we feel inside, but Jesus is the only One who can do that. When we allow Him in, change starts happening from the inside out.

The Bible tells us that God will provide us with a way of escape from every temptation we face. But have you ever noticed that it’s easier to take Him up on that “exit route” for some sins than it is for others? We’ve all got our weaknesses, and if we’re not careful we can find ourselves getting discouraged about our struggles instead of celebrating the Lord’s triumphs in our lives. Through Him and Him alone, we’ve been made victors over sin.

God doesn’t suggest that we might be tempted — He all but guarantees it. Temptation is inevitable, and often, we find ourselves being tempted by the same things over and over and over again. But God is also faithful to provide a way of escape…provided we’re willing to take it.

When we choose to follow Jesus, we’re branded with a “rebirth mark” that appears like a bullseye to the devil. He comes after us with temptations he knows we’ll fall for. And while temptation may be inevitable, Scripture tells us that if we submit to God and resist the devil, he’ll flee from us.

The devil knows exactly what bait to use to lure us into sin. But within every temptation lies an escape, if only we’re prepared to look for it. Only Jesus, full of grace and mercy, can show us how to flee — as long as we run to Him.

There’s a constant war going on within each of us, with both sides vying for our attention; on one side is the Holy Spirit, and on the other side is our own flesh. The flesh goes along with any temptation that comes our way, and tries to convince us that it’s something we need. The Holy Spirit, however, gives us the strength to resist temptation, and to strive for a holy life — the only kind worth living.

The enemy uses every single opportunity this world presents to pull our attention away from God and distract us with our own selfish desires — and sometimes, it doesn’t take much for him to succeed. We have to always on guard not to let ourselves become content here at the cost of living for the Lord, and to keep our focus on heaven.

Did you know that as followers of Christ, we’re not “only” human? We have the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit inside us! And that means even though we’re prone to being tempted, God’s given us all the tools we need to resist temptation and overcome sin so we can live a godly life.

We struggle time and again with the desires of our flesh — but that’s why Jesus took on flesh Himself. He came to this world in a real body to experience real human struggles so that He could die a real death for our sins and have a real resurrection from the grave. Because of His victory, we no longer have to be slaves to our own bodies, because He offers us a new life in Him.

Entertaining temptation is like playing with fire: no one gets out without getting burned. The Bible gives us specific instructions on resisting the temptation of sexual sin. The devil will always try to lure us with tempting thoughts in order to distract us, and in those moments it’s as important as ever that we go to God in repentance and receive His forgiveness.