There is a Way Out
1 Corinthians 10:11-13 NLT
11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Paul was writing about the example of Israel and what they experienced in the trek out of Egypt. They encountered many different temptations and did not do a good job of resisting. They engaged in pagan practices, worshipping and dancing before an idol. They engaged in sexual immorality, spoke against God, and complained about God. All of these things had some bad repercussions. Paul said these things were written for our examples and served as a warning.
Paul’s warning was to those who thought they were standing strong. Instead of applauding them for their positive approach, he issued another warning. Be careful so you don’tfall. Evidently, there are two times to be on the alert. When you are doing well and when you are not doing well. In other words, we want to be alert and on guard, not overconfident.
Verse thirteen is good news. No one is going through anything that has not been seen before. There is no new temptation. Each generation thinks they have to face pressure that the previous generations were immune to. But all temptation is common to man. It may come packaged differently, but it’s the same kind of temptation. But God is faithful. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to handle. And not only that, He will provide a way out so that we can endure and not fall. That’s a great perspective for us to adopt. Whatever temptation we are dealing with, God has a way out, a way of escape.
Now the enemy, usually teamed up with our flesh, tells us that we are bound and we can’t escape the temptation. This is where we must learn to walk by faith, not by sight or feelings. One way to escape temptation is to go to the Lord and tell Him where we are struggling. In Hebrews 4:15-16, we are told that Jesus was tempted as we are but never sinned. So we can go boldly to the throne of grace to get mercy and find grace to help in times of need. God’s mercy and grace are going to be a way out. God has promised to make a way out, a way of escape. Now, we just need to be willing to take that path away from the temptation. It’s not a sin to be tempted, and knowing that God is looking to help, not condemn us, is a place of strength. Temptation does not have to win.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for making a way of escape whenever I am tempted. I choose to follow you all the way out.