A very helpful verse of Scripture, when it comes to being tempted to cross-dress, or look at pornography, or fantasize about being a woman, or being tempted to sin in any way, is 1 Corinthians 10:13. Paul says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
One helpful thing to remember is that the temptation that you are dealing with in a particular moment is “common to man”. Many people are dealing with it … something strange is not happening to you. In fact, that particular moment is an opportunity for you to pray for others who struggle with the same temptations.
Another promise to hold onto from this verse is that “God is faithful” and He “will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear”. God remembers that we are dust and He puts limits on the extent to which the tempter, Satan, can tempt us. If you read the first chapters of the book of Job, you will see that Satan could not do anything without God’s permission. It is the same for us.
The amazing thing about this verse is the promise, that God “will also make the way of escape” from the temptation. I personally believe that this “way of escape” is the opportunity to come directly into God’s throne room through prayer (see the page “Prayer”) and spend time with our Heavenly Father, through Jesus. Special times with God are waiting just on the other side of temptation. For more thoughts about resisting the tempter, see the page “God’s Armor”.
James, Jesus’ half-brother, wrote in James 1, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” Notice that enduring a temptation is an opportunity to show love to God. James goes on to say, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”
The important thing to remember when you are tempted to sin, is that you are not alone … God is with you. David, in Psalm 38, bemoans his wretched condition, “For my iniquities have gone over my head, like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me … Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!”