1 Corinthians 10:11-13 (NIV)
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And 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.
The reason that God caused the prophets to record the specific historical events in the Scriptures that have been preserved there is to be examples to us today, both positive examples and negative. Since God does not change, how He related to people in the past is a reliable indicator of the way He does things today.
Those who think that they are facing unique temptations these days, temptations that have not existed before, need to think again. Even though some temptations, such as pornography are more likely to use technology today, like the internet, the pull toward illicit sexual thoughts and actions is nearly as old as mankind. Even though we have substances that alter our mood and our consciousness in ways that haven’t existed before, the temptation to escape, to take control of one’s own mind, has been with mankind since the garden.
The key to win over to any temptation is to understand that God will always provide a means to escape it if the person who is tempted will simply look for it and decide to take it at once. It is no benefit to stay where the temptation is strong and try to resist it. Very often the way out is literally the way out—walking away. If drugs or alcohol are presented at a party and are tempting, the way out that God provides is often to simply leave the party. If a sexually suggestive ad appears on your television or computer, the way out the God provides is often to simply turn it off.
Many Christians in Corinth had come out of an idolatrous religion that was steeped in sexuality. Some of them hung around the temples after they were saved and were shocked to find that the temptation to stop in to see the shrine prostitutes was potent, and drew them in. They complained that the temptation was just too strong, and they were powerless to resist. Paul’s solution was simple: don’t hang out at the temples—stay far away from them at all times. That was the way out that God had provided
Father, this is very simple, and makes infinite sense! I think there are two reasons for not looking for and taking the way out that you provide in any temptation. The first is simple unwillingness. We enjoy the sinful behavior and don’t really want to stop, and we console ourselves with the story that we would like to be able to resist, but the temptation is just too strong, and we’re too weak. We are just victims. Paul provides a perfect answer here: stop being a victim! When the temptation is too strong, take the way out that You provide. Walk away. Turn it off. The other reason is that we want to test ourselves, to prove that we are strong now. But all too often we simply prove ourselves foolish, like the recovered alcoholic who convinces himself that he can handle one drink, and wakes up the next morning in a fog, wondering what happened. Paul knew and taught that sin kills, spiritually, and sometimes physically, and should be avoided at all times, even if that means leaving the party, turning away from the attractive woman, staying blocks away from the bar or the club or the casino. Your way out is often that simple. Thank you Lord, for always helping when we turned to you. Amen.