“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
I’ll never forget an experience I had as a five-year-old. I was visiting kindergarten for the first time, and I got stuck in the restroom. I was able to unlock the door, but it just wouldn’t budge open. I pushed and pulled, but I couldn’t get it to move. Then I panicked. Had the teacher forgotten about me? Would anyone ever find me? I began to cry, and thankfully, the teacher came to my rescue. She told me to crawl under the door to get out. How silly of me! Why hadn’t I thought of that myself? Soon I was on the other side and finally felt relief!
Have you ever been trapped somewhere and had the feeling that you wouldn’t be able to get out? Have you ever been tempted to do something wrong and just didn’t feel like doing the right thing? Sometimes when being tempted to do wrong, you feel so alone and maybe you even think that the most important people in your lives have forgotten about you.
But God hasn’t! In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul says that God is faithful and will not leave you helpless in times of temptation. God will always provide a way for you to escape temptation.
Sometimes God allows temptations to happen in your life in order to test your faith in Him. Your circumstances may seem tough, but God offers you encouragement for each test. First, you are not alone. Every Christian is tempted to do wrong. Second, God knows how strong your faith is and knows how much you can take. Third, God always provides a way for you to escape temptation. He provides parents, teachers, and friends to help you resist temptation. He also gives you His Word, to help you fight temptation (Ephesians 6:10-11). Remember when Jesus was tempted by the Devil? Each time the Devil tempted Him (Luke 4), Jesus responded with verses from Scripture.
As a five-year-old, I wasn’t able to see that I could just crawl under the door to escape. Sometimes you might think that there’s no way that you escape temptations. But God knows exactly how He can help you, and He has promised to provide a way!
God always provides a way for you to resist temptation.
My Response:
» When am I tempted to do wrong?
» Do I look to God for help when I’m tempted to do wrong?
» What verses can I memorize to help me when I’m tempted?