The Way Out

1 CORINTHIANS 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.


We have our weaknesses, the areas in our life that cause us to question our own faithfulness to God. They are temptations that may not be as tempting to others but definitely pull at our sinful nature and win more often than not.

Jesus too was tempted. He was out in the desert having not eaten in 40 days. Satan was on His heals tempting with food and power. How did Jesus respond? He came against Satan with the Word of God, knowing it would shut him up. Satan cannot argue with the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11).

Until we stop breathing we will be tempted on a regular basis. Sin is inviting. If it weren't we would not be so eager to let our flesh take control. And since sin will continue to linger at our doorstep we need to take steps to divert ourselves to another path, the path of righteousness.

You have probably heard the passage "he will not tempt you beyond what you can bear." And if you are like me, you have probably questioned God in His understanding of what you can actually bear. There are some temptations that have such a strong hold on people they see no other way but to give in.

The problem is we want God to take the temptation from us instead of looking for the way out that God has promised. He said He would always provide a way out. It is our job to seek out that other path. Each time we conquer a temptation our spirit-man becomes stronger and our sinful man becomes weaker. John 3:30 says He must increase but I must decrease.

How did Jesus conquer temptation? He was prepared. He knew the scripture and used it against Satan when temptation was thrown at Him. The Word of God is not there for us to just memorize. We need to apply it to our lives. We need to use it to combat the enemy. How do we combat enemies? With a weapon. What is our weapon? The Bible-our sword.

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

The holidays are coming, which can bring on stronger temptations for some people. The temptation to overspend, overeat, or overreact can become overwhelming. And if you give in to them you will reap what you sow.

Get into the Word of God. Learn it. Use it to find the "way out" God is giving you to defeat temptation. God Bless~