Are you looking for God's help? It will give you a way out
Temptation is something that we all face as Christians, no matter how long we have followed Christ. But with every temptation, God will provide a way out.
Key Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has surpassed you except what is common to humanity. And God is faithful; it will not let you tempt beyond what you can endure. But when you're tempted, it will also provide you with a way out to allow yourself to endure it. (NIV)
God is faithful
As the verse reminds us, God is faithful. It will always give us an escape. It will not allow us to be tested and tempted beyond our ability to resist.
God loves his children. He is not a distant spectator who only watches us tinkering all his life. He worries about our business and doesn't want us to be defeated by sin. God wants us to win our battles against sin because he is interested in our well-being:
God will make it happen, because whoever calls you is faithful. (1 Thessalonians 5:24, NLT)
Rest assured, God is not tempting you. He himself does not tempt anyone:
When tempted, no one should say "God is tempting me." Because God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does anyone try. " (James 1:13, NIV)
The problem is that when we are faced with temptation, we are not looking for an escape. Maybe we enjoy our secret sin too much and we don't really want God's help. Or we fall prey to sin simply because we don't remember looking for the way out that God promised to provide.
Common to humans
The passage explains that all the temptations that a Christian could experience are common to man. This means that everyone faces the same temptations. There are no unique or extreme temptations that are impossible to overcome. If other people have managed to resist the temptation you are facing, then you can too.
Remember, there is strength in numbers. Find another brother or sister in Christ who has followed a similar path and managed to overcome the temptations you face. Ask him to pray for you. Other believers can identify with our struggles and give us support and encouragement in times of crisis or temptation. Your escape could only be a phone call.
Are you looking for God's help?
Taken to eat biscuits, a child explained to his mother, "I just climbed up to sniff them and my tooth got stuck." The boy had not yet learned to find his way out. But if we really want to stop sinning, we will learn how to seek God's help.
When you're tempted, learn the dog lesson. Anyone who has trained a dog to obey knows this scene. Some meat or bread is placed on the floor next to the dog and the owner says "No!" That the dog knows it means he shouldn't touch it. The dog usually takes his eyes off food, because the temptation to disobey would be too great, and instead will fix his eyes on the master's face. This is the lesson of the dog. Always look into the Master's face.
One way to see temptation is to consider it a test. If we keep our eyes trained on Jesus Christ, our Master, we will have no problems passing the test and avoiding the tendency to sin.
The way out may not always be to escape the process or temptation, but to resist under it. Instead, God might try to strengthen and mature your faith:
Dear brothers and sisters, when problems of any kind arise, consider it an opportunity of great joy. Because you know that when your faith is tested, your stamina has a chance to grow. So let it grow, because when your resistance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, you will not need anything. (James 1: 2–4, NLT)
When you come face to face with temptation, instead of giving up, stop and look for the way out of God. You can count on him to help you.