March 19, 2018

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO MAKE A WAY TO ESCAPE

I Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

What a discouraging word: TEMPTATION. It brings to each of our minds past struggles and failures. Many of us have been “taken” by temptation at different times in our lives. We have probably said some ignorant things in the past like “I couldn’t help it”, or “nobody would understand”. We have acted as if we were the only ones to have had such difficult, particular temptations come our way. And we have probably convinced ourselves at times that we had no other real choice but to fall to it. All of which is incorrect.

God says in this verse that any temptation we have had to go through is a temptation that many have had to go through. It is “common to man”. There is nothing new under the sun. Although temptation has always been around, and although there is nothing new to Satan’s tactics when it comes to temptation, there is good news. God has always been faithful, just as temptation has always been a struggle. God was faithful before Satan first tempted Eve, and God will still be faithful when Satan is chained and silenced. If God was not faithful, then you and I would have a point by saying we could not help it. If God was not faithful, then we would be correct in saying that we had no choice but to fall to the temptation. But God is faithful.

What is God faithful to do?

1.) God is faithful to make sure that you and I are never tempted beyond our ability to say no. God will never allow for us to be tempted beyond our “ability”. There will never be a temptation in your life that will leave you helpless to resist. God is faithful to make sure of that. Without God, you and I would have no chance to resist Satan. So whatever temptation comes your way, rest assured that you can resist it with God’s help.

2.) God is faithful to always give you an avenue to escape the snare of that temptation. God did not say that you can always escape the temptation. God just says that when temptation comes, He will always provide a way to escape the snare of it. I think of how Joseph left his coat in the room of Pottifer’s wife and ran. He saw the way of escape that God had provided and he got out of there. This will require two things from you. First is “resistance”. God’s Word says that if you resist Satan, He will flee. You and I must learn to resist instead of indulging in every temptation. Second, we must “rely” on God and His Word. We will not resist temptation and less we are in God’s word faithfully and fully reliant upon it. I don’t know about you, but if I am not in the Bible, the Bible is not in me.

3.) God said that He will be faithful to make sure that you and I can “bear it”. Resisting temptation will be difficult, but we can get through it and get beyond it. At times we will think that we will die, but if we resist and rely, it is bearable. Thank God that He has promised “never to leave thee nor forsake thee”.

He is able to make a way to escape!