Tempted, Yet Kept in Jesus
Devotional Credit: My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, reading titled “His Temptation and Ours”
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Oswald Chambers reminds us that temptation is not simply about saying no to obvious wrongs. It often presses on the very truths the Holy Spirit has planted in us. Our Lord was tempted in every way, yet without sin. In the wilderness the evil one prodded the core of His calling. In our everyday wilderness moments, the pressure often aims at our union with Jesus, our confidence in the Father’s heart, and our dependence on the Spirit’s indwelling life. Thank you, Oswald Chambers, for pointing our eyes to Jesus as our sympathetic High Priest.
Before new birth, we mainly notice the pull of our own desires. After new birth, the Holy Spirit tunes us to see deeper contests. The enemy wants to shift our vantage point away from Jesus, away from the mind of Christ, away from the quiet certainty that we are alive to God. The struggle is real, yet the battleground is not whether we belong to God. The battleground is perspective, reliance, and presentation of ourselves to God as those already made alive in His Son.
This is where abiding life language matters. We are not isolated strivers trying to copy a distant Savior. We are a people included in Him, joined to His life, sharing in His victory. Temptation will try to make us live as if we are alone and under-resourced. The gospel tells the better truth. We have a High Priest who knows our weakness from the inside of human life, and we have His Spirit within to lead us through the exit God always provides.
So when pressure comes, we do not climb into a moral boxing ring armed with willpower. We turn toward the Lord who lives in us. We count what God says as reality, we present ourselves to Him as those alive from the dead, and we stay under His easy yoke. That posture is not passivity. It is trust. It is cooperation with the Spirit who always aims to show Jesus through us.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you and in you. You have a High Priest who understands your weakness, and I draw your heart to Him. When testing comes, remember that you are in My Son, alive to God and no longer under the rule of sin. I always make a way of escape, not by amplifying your resolve, but by guiding your steps into the reality you already share with Him.
Set your mind on things above where your life is hidden with Christ in God. Present yourself to Me as one raised with Him. Walk by Me and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. My power works in you to will and to act for the Father’s good pleasure. I train your hands for this war by renewing your mind, by fastening truth around your waist, by fitting your feet with readiness that comes from peace.
When accusations rise, remember there is no condemnation for you in Christ Jesus. When desire whispers, count yourself dead to sin and alive to God, and yield your members to righteousness. When fear stirs, be sober and watchful, yet steady, for I perfect, confirm, and establish you. I lead you in triumph in Christ. Take every thought captive and bring it under His obedience. Remain in Me, and fruit will follow.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of stepping out into steady rain with a good umbrella. The drops still fall, the wind may gust, and the streets glisten. You do not try to stop the storm. You remain under the cover that keeps you dry while you keep walking your route. In the same way, when temptation presses in, the Holy Spirit covers and carries you as you rest under His care. You do not fight the sky. You stay under the One who keeps you.
Try this today. When a familiar pull shows up, pause for one quiet moment and stay under your Cover. Whisper, Lord, I entrust this moment to You, live Your purity through me right here. Then do the next simple thing in front of you. Delete the tab. Put the phone down. Step outside for a three minute walk. Send a kind reply instead of the sharp one. The rain may continue, yet you keep moving because Jesus by His Spirit keeps you.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am not alone. Thank You that Your Spirit lives in me and that there is always a way through every test. Today I count myself dead to sin and alive to You. I present my mind, words, and body to You as instruments of righteousness. Thank You for steadying my steps, for guarding my heart with Your peace, and for showing the life of Jesus through me. I rest in Your faithful keeping.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 2:18; Romans 6:6 to 14; Romans 8:1 to 4; Romans 13:14; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 10:3 to 5; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:16 to 25; Ephesians 6:10 to 18; Colossians 3:1 to 4; Philippians 2:12 to 13; John 15:1 to 5; 1 Peter 5:8 to 10; James 1:13 to 15