1 Corinthians 10:13
“God … will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear … he will also provide a way out.”
Face your next temptation with these two assumptions: (1) You CAN bear it and (2) there IS a way out. Temptation seems by nature to deny these two claims. Ignore that feeling and embrace the promises.
Bearing Up Under Temptation
Good news! There are no destruction-guaranteed arrows of temptation. God doesn’t allow them. There are only life wrecking choices in the face of genuinely bearable temptations. The devil didn’t make us do it, nor did God, we did it ourselves.
Temptation never singles anyone out for a special attack that is uncommon to other people. When temptation seizes any of us it is the same sort of thing that grabs hold of people in the next room, next village and next Nation. The pressure to do wrong is universal and common but never irresistible.
So, we can help each other. Just telling someone else what you are facing is the beginning of bearing up. Our stories all have the same plot line, just different details. Alcoholics Anonymous understands this very well. That is why they make a confession and tell a story. Lives are changed. It works!
When the temptation comes, ring a mate. Ask for help. Be with others until you find a way out.
Finding the Way Out
When the pressure to do wrong seizes you, go for the exit. God always provides one. Why then do we often feel like there is no way out? Why does temptation seem unbeatable? One reason is we look for the wrong kind of door.
Some want Alice, a magic door in Wonderland. They want God to make an easy escape appear whenever they need it. If no door materialises they become disillusioned and quickly give in. But there are no enchanted exits in this real world of temptation.
Some want Elvis, a quick back-stage exit. Can’t God just make it easy for me to walk out the back door untouched by this pressure to fail him? Just an announcement: “Allan has left the building” leaving temptation in the lurch.
Some want Rambo, a guns-a-blazin' rescue effort. If God would just burst in at my weak moment, stomp on temptation’s head and fly me out of trouble to safety.
God’s way out is none of these. It requires changed behavioural patterns. Old habits need to be replaced with new healthy ones; a troublesome location needs to be avoided; and bad influences need to be removed. A new positive aspiration needs to displace the old self destructive routines.
These “ways out” require thought and planning. Instead of waiting for Alice, Elvis or Rambo, perhaps we need to look for God’s Stewards. At the beginning of every flight the airplane crew instruct us to note the exits and plan our “way out” in case of an emergency.
The air disaster is unlikely. Temptation is certain. Why not prepare? Get a counsellor, a pastor or a mate to help you identify your escape in the likely event of temptation.
Do you know the exit nearest you?
Questions
- Do you have an exit strategy for your most frequent temptations?
- Do you have people to call on when your need help to bear up?
- Leave a comment.
Was this written in response to our conversation - or does it just feel like it? Either way good points and thank you for answering my call when I reached out to you. - M
ReplyDeleteHi M. No, the post was written and published before our conversation. I can assure you there is enough temptation in my life to fuel my writing without looking at anyone else's life ;-). Good to talk. Take care.
ReplyDelete