Shut the Door Early

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.” — 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)

If you think that really good Christians don’t get tempted, Thomas would like a word. “No one is so perfect or so holy but he is sometimes tempted,” he writes. “There is no state so holy, no place so secret that temptations and trials will not come.” Temptation is not proof that something is wrong with you. It is part of being human.

He even says temptations can be useful, because in them we are “humbled, purified, and instructed.” He has two short lines on this that are worth memorising:

“Fire tempers iron and temptation steels the just. Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are.”

Then he gives the most practical advice in the chapter. Fight temptation early. He describes how it grows, step by step: “First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent.” A thought becomes a picture, the picture becomes a pleasure, and before you know it you have said yes.

So, he says, the time to act is at the very first step. The enemy “is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks.” Don’t invite the thought in to sit down and chat. Shut the door while it is still knocking. He quotes an old saying: “Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength.”

He also warns that running away from situations is not enough on its own: “We cannot conquer simply by fleeing, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies.” Changing where you are helps, but God also wants to change what is inside you.

Two more pieces of advice. First: don’t fight alone. “Often take counsel when tempted.” Talk to someone you trust. Second: be kind to others who are struggling. “Do not be harsh with others who are tempted, but console them as you yourself would wish to be consoled.”

And don’t despair. God, he says, quoting Paul, will make a way out “that we may be able to bear it.” When you are tempted, pray harder, not less.

One thing to do this week: think of one temptation you face often. Work out what its “first knock” usually is: a thought, a place, a time of night, a particular app. Plan one simple way to shut the door at that first step, and tell one trusted person your plan.