You might be surprised by the title of this post, but the fact remains that temptation is not as bad as we see it. Again, whether we like it or not, we will certainly be tempted in one way or the other. If our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil, we shouldn't expect less treatment. Below are ways through which we can see temptation as a gift.
Through temptation, we are presented with a new opportunity to do something right.
In the past, we may have fallen to several sins due to the weak human nature and lack of steadfastness on our part. For example, if we have fallen into the sin of lying in the past. When we are faced again with a situation where we are likely to lie to save ourselves or a loved one, it is thus an opportunity given to us to atone for past lies by telling the truth this time. If we are able, to tell the truth, we have atoned to an extent for the past lies.
Temptation shows our weakness.
If we have been observant, we will notice that there are certain temptations that we overcome easily, and there are some that we struggle hard to overcome. The temptation we fall easily into shows the areas of life where we are weak. With our past falls, we can detect this and then work towards overcoming them or at least avoiding the occasion of sins that can lead to them. An occasion of sin is things like places, individuals, and acts that can lead us to sin. For example, watching impure movies is an occasion of the sin of masturbation and impure thoughts.
Temptations to an extent show that we are on the right part.
The devil doesn't tempt sinners as often as he does to the believers. He knew that those who are already in sin are already on the part of doom and thus wouldn't waste time with them but with those who are struggling to work in the part of righteousness.
I will also love to point out a few things here about temptation.
First, temptation doesn't amount to sin provided that you didn't yield to it. So never be troubled by the number of temptations you pass through. God wouldn't allow any temptation greater than us to come to us.
Secondly, sometimes we place ourselves in conditions where resisting temptation will be difficult. For example, it is never safe for two unmarried adults of the opposite sex to be alone in a hidden place. Temptation of the flesh can easily overthrow them.
In the end, let us not forget to appreciate the fact that we cannot conquer temptation by our power alone. We should always call on God during temptation. We should also embrace all the temptation that will come our way with good faith. Some temptation comes to prepare us for something big. This is why we need to be steadfast in pursuing virtues because a fall to temptation can take away the good things prepared for us.
We should also never allow ourselves to be discouraged by the number of times we have fallen into temptation. What makes us strong is not our inability to fall into temptation, but the ability to rise when we fall, and to work towards avoiding further fall.