November 20th
Today's Bible Reading
Way Out
1 Corinthians 10:13
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, that you may be able to endure it.
Temptation is a way of life for the believer. It will happen to each of us. It is unavoidable. There is no way to escape or elude its arrival. It is inevitable. But the problem is not its entrance, but our exit. It will come, but we don’t have to succumb to its pull. We don’t have to fall prey to its power. Temptation always arrives with a way out. It has a prearranged exit strategy included. We need to take it.
Our text is the quintessential scripture that we must comprehend to effectively encounter and escape temptation. In it we discover the commonality that we have with all other human beings. We all face a common foe. Temptation is a shared phenomenon for all of us. We are all tempted. It is common to man. We may not be tempted in like manner, but we will all have similarities in the types of our temptations. 1 John suggests that the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life are three all-encompassing categories into which all temptations fall (1 John 2:16). We all have this in common. Even Jesus was tempted with these same types of temptations that we face (Matt 4:1-11). We can relate to each other and Jesus in our shared struggle with temptation (Heb. 4:15). This commonality gives us confidence and courage when we encounter temptations.
Also in this text we find God’s role in our joint struggle. God is faithful. We have a friend in the fight. We are not walking alone or unarmed in our strife. God is present and powerful to help us in our temptation. Notice the two things that God “will” do for you in the temptation. First, He will sustain you in the temptation. He will never allow you to be tempted beyond your ability. No matter the manner or method of our temptation we will be endowed with the spiritual ability to evade its onslaught. This supernatural ability comes from the power and presence of the Holy Spirit who resides in every believer and the spiritual armament that has been provided for all believers. Paul tells you that you must put on the whole armor of God that you might be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Eph 6:11). It is the placement of the armor and the power and the presence of His Spirit that will give us the ability to withstand the Tempters’ attacks (Matt 4:3). God is faithful to not let you be tempted beyond your ability.
But God is also faithful to provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. He will steer you through the temptation. With every temptation there is an exit. No matter how long or intense your temptation might be there is plan of rescue. God is the one who makes it available and God is the one who will make it know to you. The exit will be clearly marked and easily accessible. There is no fear that you might be trapped in temptation forever. You will not have to endure it without end. God has a path and plan to pull you out. It is God who provides the exit, but you must take it. God typically doesn’t pull you out of temptation, but provides the path for you to get it. You have to decide to be delivered. You have to walk through the way of escape.
So the next time you face any temptation, know that you are not alone. Remember everyone else, including Jesus, has faced and will face similar struggles. Find others to talk to about how they handle their temptations. Gain insights that will help you the next time you are tempted. Also, recognize that God’s presence, power and provisions are readily available when you are tempted. Be assured that God will faithfully sustain you in the temptation and steer you through the temptation to find the way of escape. Trust Him to be faithful when you are fighting temptation.
Today thank God that His presence and power are accessible to us in times of temptation. Praise Him that He is faithful regardless of the temptations that we face. Ask Him, as His model prayer tells us to pray, to lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from evil. Thank Him that when you do find yourself encountering temptation that you will also find an exit from the temptation. Ask Him to help you always take the way out.
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