The Way of Escape

1 Corinthians 10:13

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 endure it.

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon tells an allegorical story of a young man who he calls naive and lacking good sense because he walks past a street corner where he knows a sexually loose woman hangs out to tempt men passing by. She is dressed like a harlot (even 3,000 years ago a person's attire would reveal something about their character) and she calls out to the men with alluring comments promising them pleasures if they will join her. In the story, she seduces him and he follows her like an animal to be slaughtered. Solomon says that giving in to this temptation will cost him his life. The interesting thing about this story is that the young man intentionally travels past a point where he knows he will be tempted and overwhelmed with desire. He could have taken a route that avoided her. His actions show that he really did not want to stay far away from things that tempt him but instead go as close to the edge as he can. Being tempted is not a sin but giving in, crossing that line, will leave you wide open to a fall. Our verse today is meant to challenge us to realize that our spiritual life with Jesus is a battle…every moment of the day. Jesus was tempted just like we are but did not give in. While God's Spirit will give us the strength to endure and not be trapped under the pressure of those drives and desires that can destroy us, the implication is that we have to make a choice. God will help us by providing "a way out", a way of escape, but the passage seems to give us the key ingredient to victory. We need to "flee", to run, to obey God with our feet like the young man in Proverbs should have done. If you are alone, maybe you need to get out of the room or out of the house where you are tempted and chase those thoughts away by changing your focus. If you are with bad company, maybe you should walk away from them. In the moments of stress, reach out to other committed believers by phone, confessing your struggle, and then get away from the place of temptation. Discipline your thoughts to make the right choice at a time when you are weakest. Start now to make it your lifestyle to talk to the Lord continually throughout the day and pray, "Lord, I am heading over to a friend's house and I don't know what to do because they are doing the things I am trying to stop." Then listen to what He tells you. He will call you up to holy living that encourages you to stay clear of sin. Does it mean you should get an app that can block your access to certain internet material? Do it now. You can start developing a sense that temptation is coming and that your moment of decision, the time to flee, is NOW. Cry out to Him to show you the way to escape and give you the strength to choose it.