HIS Way
Author: Kay Davis
October 04, 2023
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way to escape, that you may be able to endure it." I Corinthians 10:13
Temptation. Yikes. It's all around us, isn't it? Soooo many things that try to distract us from living a godly life! What's a believer to do?? There are so many lures out there trying to hook us, aren't there?!
This concept reminds me of a lesson Ron once taught to our youth group in a former church back in the '90's. He walked in the room dressed to the hilt like a fly fisherman...waders, fishing pole, and of course the lures. It.was.awesome. If we only had pics...there weren't any cell phones with cameras back then! Ha! He wanted to leave them with a visual that would stick with them when they were tempted to sin.
We have friends to this day that were sitting in on that lesson that still bring it up periodically...it was such vivid illustration of how we are lured away so, so easily from the Lord if we are not diligent. It is my understanding that temptation is an attempt to draw us away from God. But God (my two favorite words in the bible) has a made a way of escape for us!
It's found in I Corinthians 10:13 which states: No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way to escape, that you may be able to endure it.
This verse gives us the reassurance that NO temptation, (which I believe means NO temptation) has overtaken you that is not common to man. Not only that, but He has provided the remedy, a way of escape. The catch...HIS way.
2 Timothy 2:22 states this: “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart”. I think that this verse gives us a glimpse of the answer to what HIS way may be for us. First off, it states “so flee youthful passions” followed by, “pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart.” Flee (run away from, shun) and then pursue (follow or employ measures to obtain or accomplish).
To me, it's a picture of turning from one direction and running in another. Easier said than done? I think it's because it's HIS way vs our way. I speak from experience! I also believe it is the process of dying to self that makes it that way... putting our will, our thoughts, our desires, ALL OF IT at the feet of the cross and allowing the Lord to accomplish His will for our lives...especially in the midst of temptations and in so doing, bringing us in to a closer relationship with Him in the process.
Temptation alone is not a sin in our lives, unless we succumb to it. Hebrews 4:14-15 states; "Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."
Praise God! What happens when we do succumb to temptations in our lives? What happens when we get “hooked by one of the many lures that get cast our way”? I believe the answer is the same. Him. HIS way...it is so interesting to me that when we look at the definition of fleeing and of pursuing in comparison to the definition of repentance...they're basically the same. Turn way from and walk (or run) in the opposite direction...His direction. In the end, the answer is Him. Always Him. He is our remedy. Our way of escape is through Him and Him alone. We aren't strong enough on our own...our ability to endure is based on His strength and His alone. His faithfulness, His way, His ability, His endurance...not ours. His grace, like rain over us. Let us press on then, fellow believers! Like Hosea 6:3 states: “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us like showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Amen.
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