The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. 2 Peter 2:9
In the late 1960s and 1970s, a profane comedian named Flip Wilson used to get his audiences to laugh with his patented punch line: ‘The devil made me do it.’ He would describe situations when he would be tempted to do things that were wrong, and then blame it on the devil when he yielded to the temptation. In one way, Flip Wilson was right: as an unsaved sinner, he lacked the ability to deliver himself from the temptations that came across his experience. He was unlike the believer, who is empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit, to resist the devil and flee the temptation.
Do believers have temptations? Oh, my! I believe we are bombarded with more temptations than the unsaved, because the devil already has those poor people captured. But in order to prevent our lives and testimonies from bringing glory to God, the devil peppers our experience with his barbs and arrows. He tries to make us sad or discontent so we don’t appreciate our Salvation. He tries to keep us busy with work or service so we don’t have time to spend on our knees or in the Book, robbing us of our communion with the Lord. He tries to destroy our testimonies by placing the enticing lusts of the flesh before us constantly. Yes, the devil knows all of our weak spots. But the Lord knows how to deliver us from the temptations.
Our text tells us that it is the godly who are delivered from temptations. The carnal Christian can expect little help because his life is a messy mingling of the holy and profane; he has already given in to many of the temptations. But the godly Christian has the greatest protection available. The godly Christian is humble, acknowledging his own inability to handle the devil’s wiles, but trusting in the Lord’s strength and guidance to help him stand before the foe.
With all his years of experience, the devil knows how to successfully tempt us. He’ll outsmart us every time. But the Lord knows how to deliver us, and the devil can’t outsmart Him. Rest on God’s knowledge and power, and know victory over temptation. -Jim MacIntosh