Prickly Escape Routes

Many people are familiar with the promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it."  

This is where the common, if slightly questionable, phrase: "God won't give you anything you can't handle" comes from.  But many of us find ourselves in situations where we know we are in over our heads so this verse seems a little naive to us.  But if you look back, the part we focus on, of course, is the section talking about the part we play. On second glance we notice it is sandwiched between, "God is faithful" and "He will also provide a way of escape" both of which describe what His part is in all of this.

So...what do we KNOW?

1) We KNOW that God promises to provide a way of escape when we are tempted, so it will definitely be there.  There will always be a release valve when we feel pressured to go against what God has told us to do.
2) We KNOW that He is faithful.


So, what is this "way of escape" you ask?  Well, as anyone who's been alive for more than 5 minutes knows, it's not typically a paved, pot-hole-free super-highway.  It often looks MUCH scarier than the way we know is wrong.  

Finding the Escape Route:
In so many situations, escape requires someone to sacrifice.  In our Ultimate Escape from sin and its consequences, the Great Jailbreak was only accomplished through Christ's sacrifice on the cross and resurrection.

I think it may be the same principle, reenacted in miniature each time we face sin ourselves. Sometimes it seems that we are only given a way of escape through thistle bushes and locust trees!  But make no mistake, we will walk out of that temptation one way or another.  

We will either choose to believe the enemy of our souls and walk out of a temptation in the way he recommends, choosing his way of escape for us (hint: no real escape at all, its just a tunnel leading back into the prison) or holding the hand of our loving, rescuing Father as he leads us out into greater and more abundant Life.  There is no contest.

So the next time we face temptation and there seems to be know way out but to give in, may we all take a second look and choose the way out, no matter how prickly the path seems.