Mark Twain once quipped, "I can resist anything except temptation." Although humorous, and not intended to be taken seriously, there is truth in his words. The fact is that we do not have the power to resist temptation on our own, rather "we'd all sin and fall short of God's glory" (Rom 3:23) for "no one is righteous, not even one" (Rom 3:10).
The "Good News" however, is that we are not left to our own to battle temptation. Instead, "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted" (Heb 2:18). In fact, "with every temptation, he has given us the power to stand up under it" (1 Cor 19:13).
Does that mean we could live a perfect life? Yes. Does that mean we will? No. He does offer his help, but we don't always accept it. He does always provide a way out but we often fail to take it. The problem is not a lack of ready power to resist temptation - the problem is the power to choose.
Jesus does not stand ready to break down our door like a divine swat team or corner us like a heavenly intervention, instead he "stands at the door and knocks and if anyone hears his call and opens the door, [he] will come in" (Rev3:20).
You haven't resisted every temptation and you won't be resisting all temptation anytime soon. But, in Christ, you have the power to resist any temtion. With every temptation to do something wrong, there is an opportunity to claim God's power and do something right instead. And while we lack the moral discipline to always choose right, we can make it our goal to aim for perfection, in which case, we will succeed much more often.
Jus' Sayn.
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