Common Temptation

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  1 Corinthians 10:13a(NIV)

Paul tells the folks in Corinth back in the day that the tempation that they had to deal with, that “seized” them, was nothing special or unique.  I find it is exactly the same for me.  It isn’t unique or complicated.  It’s common.  It’s not new.  It’s even predicatable.  The tempations I will deal with tomorrow are pretty much the same ones I dealt with today, and the day before that, and the day before that,  etc, etc……

In my vast experience with temptation, I find that when I fall, it’s pretty likely I’ll be given another chance to fall in a very similar way again soon.  And if I sucessfully resist a temptation for a while, there’s no reason to assume that I’ve defeated that temptation permanently.  My enemy will just trot it out again for me in an opportune moment, and if I’ve fallen for it before, I’m inclined to do it again. 

And I suspect all men deal with the same common temptations, though employing different vehicles and in different degrees.  Sex, money, power,  and a neverending variety of idols really are pretty common, aren’t they?  By the way, recognizing temptation for what it is when we encounter it is a biggish first step……