Here's a great article concerning what we've been reading...

 

Seeking the Kingdom of God (6) By T. M. Moore | Published Date: November 03, 2012 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it.                - 1 Corinthians 10:13 Martin Luther is reported to have said concerning temptation, “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head; but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.” All Christians can expect to be confronted with temptations of various sorts. Temptation is not sin. When temptation comes, the goal is to grow through it into a stronger experience of Kingdom righteousness, rather than to fall through it into some spiritual or moral setback. We need to be on the lookout for temptation, so that we recognize it when it comes. But we also need to find the way of escape Paul mentioned as the key to growing through temptation. In Psalm 73 Asaph reports on a powerful temptation that almost snared him in sin. Here he was, a dedicated servant of the Lord, daily submitting to all manner of spiritual disciplines and rigors, and, so it seems, largely unappreciated for his work. Certainly he wasn’t getting wealthy being a largely negative prophet in an age of great wealth and spiritual complacency. When he looked around at the comforts rich people enjoyed, and at their cavalier attitude toward God and His Law, he was tempted to covet their ease and despise his calling. But at just the right moment, he recognized this temptation for what it was, and, in the process of maintaining his righteousness, Asaph shows us six places to look in finding the way of escape from temptation, so that the Kingdom of God can continue to advance in and through us. First, Asaph remembered that we never sin alone: He reflected that sin on his part would be a betrayal of the community of faith (v. 15). When we are confronted with temptation, we need to remember that others are looking at us, taking their cues from us. If we take sin into our souls it will affect not only us, but them, and the demands of neighbor-love should help us to resist temptation and, thus, advance the righteousness of God’s Kingdom in our lives. Second, though, Asaph took his temptation to the Lord (vv. 16, 17). By coming into His presence, undoubtedly through prayer, He put his own temporal circumstances into an eternal and heavenly perspective. It would be hard for sin to control him as long as his heart and mind were fixed on and communing with the Lord. Third, Asaph contemplated the effects of sin (vv. 18-20). Sin, he reflected, is a slippery slope. One sin leads to another, which leads to another, and so forth, until we’re so altogether miserable and burdened with sin that we’re no good for any Kingdom enterprise.  Fourth, Asaph expressed disgust with himself, that he would even contemplate descending into sinful behavior (vv. 21, 22). He became embittered in his soul to reflect that he was contemplating something more characteristic of brutes and fools than of a servant of the Lord.  Fifth, Asaph sought the counsel of the Lord (v. 24). He turned to God’s Law so that he could see the ugliness of his covetous inclinations and nip them in the bud before they had a chance to bloom.  Finally, he lingered in the presence of the Lord, until once again he began to know the fullness of joy and pleasures forever more which are to be had there (vv. 25-28; cf. Ps. 16:11). Perhaps he sang some hymns or took in some of the glory of God in the creation around. The Kingdom of God advances as we overcome temptation. All these ways of escaping temptation can make us stronger in the Lord through the experience, and keep us growing through adversity in our pursuit of the Kingdom of God. Here’s an exercise for you to do between you and the Lord only: Read Psalm 73. Do you have a besetting sin? Using your tongue in a harsh or critical way? Stretching the truth? Lust? Covetousness? Expect that you’re going to be tempted in this area, because the devil knows your weaknesses, and he knows that this sin can keep you from making progress in the Kingdom. Lay out a strategy for dealing with this temptation. How will you recognize its presence? How will you make your escape through it? What will you say to God on the other side of temptation, so that you can continue to grow in the righteousness of His Kingdom?