1 Corinthians 10:13 has a great promise for Christians, but we may not want to accept it: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not authentically human, and God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you have the power to to bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you will have power to endure it.”
Isn’t this great? We don’t have to be self-obsessed, worrying, lying, greedy, immoral, drunken sons of guns. God is giving us a way out. I think I misunderstood this verse for a long time, thinking it meant that some special event would happen just when I was most tempted: Right before I was going to tell a lie to my boss, God would make a plane fly by with sky writing that says “To thine own self be true.” I don’t think that is what this means. I think God is always providing many ways to empower us when we are tempted. Here are four:
Enjoying the Lord. I cannot tell you how you enjoy the Lord, but I hope you find out. For me, singing and playing music to the Lord and walking in the woods are two examples.
Enjoying and leaning on loved ones. Often when I’m tempted I lean into my friends to support me. Working on your relationship with your spouse helps you be faithful to him/her.
Practice humility. One of the main reasons that we fall into temptation is our tendency to over value our own desires. Do humble things for others. Speak humble words to others such as asking for prayer in your struggles.
Flee from tempting situations. Sometimes you just need to run or walk quickly away from conversations, relationships, and substances.
The good news about all this is that it’s all found in Jesus Christ. By his blood he has set us free from the law of sin and death. Our destiny is to be more like him and less like who we used to be.
