God Has a Way Out
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. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Do you need a way out of temptation? I have good news for you—God has a way out designed specifically for you! First Corinthians 10:13 says three things about the temptations that may come your way: “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.” First, it says that temptations are “common.” Temptations, though they may come in different forms, happen to everyone. Second, the faithfulness of God will cause you to prevail in every situation. Third, God will provide a way out of the situation so that you will be able to successfully endure it.
Adversity and temptation come to steal the Word of God out of your heart so that it will not bear fruit in your life. The devil would love to get you on a detour so that you miss what God has for you. He will try all kinds of things to rob you of God’s plan for your life. We all have people and circumstances that could get us off target with God and cause us to detour from His chosen path. But God promises that when you are faced with a temptation, He will either help you through it or take you out of it. God will give you a way out! Many believers think they will escape adversity and temptation by the “skin of their teeth.” However, as Christians, you should not think of just barely getting by. I want you to think triumph. I want you to think victory because that is what the Word of God says.
There are two ways to escape adversity—God’s way and man’s way. The most common form of escape in today’s pleasure-oriented society is through entertainment. Christians and non-Christians alike spend countless hours of their lives watching TV, scrolling online, or some other form of entertainment. By bombarding their minds with make-believe, they think they can escape their problems and pretend they don’t exist. The world’s system says, “Don’t think! Let us amuse you. Take your mind off your problems and watch TV!”
But Isaiah 1:18 says, “’Come now, and let us reason together; says the Lord.” God wants to speak to you and do something very supernatural in the time of your temptation. You don’t have to yield to a man-made or self-made detour.
If ever a man needed a way of escape, it was Job. Not only had he lost his wealth, health, and children, but he also had bad breath (see Job 19:17 NIV). His friends accused him of having sin in his life, and because of that sin, they said God had judged him. However, in the midst of his temptation, Job had a revelation of God like he had never had before. Out of that revelation came a double portion of blessing—God doubled everything he had lost and enriched his walk with Him.
God can bring you through your time of testing and temptation with great victory, too, if you’ll use His way out and not yours.