A Way Out

"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." 1 Corinthians 10:13

As believers, we have God's assurance that we'll never be tempted beyond what we can handle. But here is the problem: sometimes we unnecessarily put ourselves in harms way. As one person put it: "Lead me not into temptation...I can find it myself." No kidding! Why must we put ourselves in what seems to be the direct path of temptation so often?

We live in the real world, I know. We are aware of our weaknesses and "blind spots". It is one thing to be distracted, to get off base, and to get into things that will ultimately entice us by getting there accidentally or unknowingly. But it is another thing to put ourselves in places where we know we are weak. And some of us do that repeatedly.

If you have a problem with drinking you probably shouldn't be spending time in a bar. The single guy who is struggling with sexual temptation shouldn't be spending time alone with his girlfriend late at night...in the dark. That is putting oneself unnecessarily in the way of temptation.

As Christians, we should know that God will "provide a way out". And sometimes that way of escape is the door.

A good example...Joseph (Gen. 37-50). He got it. Day in and day out, Potiphar's wife was trying to seduce him. Eventually, she cast all subtlety aside and just pulled him down on the bed. So what did Joseph do? He did what any clear-thinking Christians young man would do under the circumstances: he ran like crazy.

God will never give us more than we can handle. There is always a way out that He provides. We must choose it. Sometimes we just need to take practical steps to resist temptation. Run like crazy!