Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
—James 1:14
Where is the best place to be when we're tempted? It isn't in church, although that is a good place to be. The best place to be is in the will of God.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness" (Matthew 4:1), where He was tempted by the Devil. Jesus was always in the will of God. He was always going where God led Him. In this case, it was to the wilderness, but He was in God's will.
Far too often, we are out of the will of God and bring temptation on ourselves unnecessarily. We go to the wrong places and hang out with the wrong people at the wrong time and then we're shocked when we do the wrong thing.
When Peter denied the Lord, where was he? He was isolated from other believers as he warmed himself by a fire outside the high priest's home. He was hanging around with mockers and unbelievers. And there in the glow of that fire, he denied three times that he knew Jesus. Peter was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people . . . and then he did the wrong thing.
Don't be shocked that you're getting tempted when you go to a party where people are drinking and using drugs. Don't be shocked that you're getting tempted when you go out with your girlfriend or boyfriend and rent a hotel room. Don't be shocked that you're getting tempted when you look at a porn site on the Internet. I am not suggesting that if you stay away from those things, temptation will go away. But I am saying you won't live under the unnecessary pressure that you bring on yourself.
Be in the will of God.
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