A Way of Escape

I Corinthians 10:13

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.

There really isn’t anything new under the sun. The struggle of humanity has been the same since Adam and Eve. The enemy has always tried to tempt us away from our position with God. His three favorite modes of temptation is PMS: Power, Money, and Sex. In our society, these three seem impossible to avoid the lure of their appeal. Everybody in America wants to be powerful, have money and get sex. It’s not that God doesn’t want you to have all three. It’s just that he doesn’t want you to get trapped in acquiring them the wrong way or overindulge to the point that they become idols in and of themselves.

Each of us have varying degrees of temptations with each one. One may struggle with the deficiency of self-esteem and lean to heavy on Power hunger. The other may have grown up poor and the desire for money becomes false security to the point money become your god. The other may have a pre-occupation with sex that stems from some perversion that started way before we understood that sex was a gift God sanctioned for a man and a woman in Holy Matrimony. Regardless of what your temptation is God’s promise is that:

1. He will always provide a way of escape. It's not that God doesn’t provide a way out, it’s that often times we don’t want to take it. We are like that man who sang that old song, “If loving you is wrong then I don’t want to be right!” The only real way out of temptation is that you Love God more than what you are tempted by. If you lose fellowship with God, you lose the ability to escape. When God got ready to deliver Lot and his family out of Sodom and Gomorrah, he told his sons-in-laws to escape with him but they laughed at him. They had a way of escape, but they loved Sodom more than they did their father and they died in the destruction.

2. God gives us the ability to bear the temptation. When Joseph was tempted to have sex with his boss’ wife, he literally ran out of the house. Bearing the temptation doesn’t mean sticking around to see how strong you are. If you hear, “We not going to do nothing, we just going to get Naked and hold each other.” Run!

When God gives you a way of escape, a broken date, early warning from a friend, car won’t start, they didn’t call you; take the way of Escape and save your life.

Dear God, thank you for giving me a way out of my mess. I’m glad I’m not the first or the last person to deal with these temptations, but you will always provide a way of escape. If loving you is right, I don’t want to be wrong. I see my exit and I’m taking it.

In Jesus Name.

Amen.