“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18

We all know what it’s like to be tempted. And we all know what it’s like to feel helpless against temptation, like we have no choice but to give in. Along with the apostle Paul, we can confess “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. … For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:15,19)

If that describes how you feel right now or how you feel sometimes when faced with temptation don’t despair. Rather, take heart, being confident that God will help you to overcome whatever temptation you’re facing. How do I know this? Because the Bible tells me that Jesus, the Son of God, was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). And to the verse above tells us we can be confident that He can and will help us.

Paul shares this confidence in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Since Jesus shared fully in our humanity and faced temptation just like we do, He knows what we’re up against and He knows how to help us. Because of what He’s done for us we can, “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Make the decision right now to be intentional about resisting temptation with the help of Jesus. “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Hebrews 12:4).