The Great Escape

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

James 1:13-15

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then

when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

Temptation is real and it’s a part of our life here on earth…Scripture tell us that we will be tempted throughout our life here on earth. It’s Satan’s invitation to live his kind of life…a life of wickedness…and to give up on God’s way of life…a life of peace and joy.

Let’s look at four basics facts about temptation:

1. Everyone struggles with temptation…Nobody is above it.

No one is immune to the problem for the struggle with temptation is nothing new. Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, all mankind has followed in their footsteps and has faced temptation. The important thing to remember is that there’s nothing wrong with us when we are tempted. It’s all part of being human. Jesus, Himself dealt with being tempted, but because He was God in the flesh, He remained sinless. So the sin is not in being tempted, but only when we yield to the temptation and act on our evil thoughts and selfish desires.

2. Temptations come in all shapes and sizes.

Sometimes we tend to think temptations are limited to specific sins, but that’s not true. We face temptations that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Jealousy…Envy...Hate…Lust…and so many more.

Satan knows each of our weaknesses and is going to attack those weaknesses. He’s going to hit us where it hurts the most. No matter how small, all temptation leads to sin.

3. The source of all temptation comes from Satan.

This is very important for us to know, because if we are to win the battle with temptation we have to understand what…or who we’re up against. In Ephesians 6:12 we read “...our struggle is not just against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world—the spiritual forces of evil.” There is an evil force at work in this world and its leader is a fallen angel named Satan who seeks to destroy our lives. Jesus calls

Satan a thief who comes only to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal the joy that God intends for us to have, he wants to kill our faith and spirit of hope, and he strives to destroy our Christian witness. Satan is a master at his job. He makes sin look so pleasing to the eye, just as he did the fruit in the Garden of Eden. He makes sin look so irresistible. Satan is the source of all temptation.

4. When we yield to temptation it’s our own fault.

We must realize that when we give in to temptation and choose to sin, we can’t blame anyone but ourselves. Sin takes place when we, by our own free will, fall to temptation. We do have a choice. We can blame

Satan for the temptations he places before us, but we can only blame ourselves for our sin. Satan is a powerful enemy; but he’s a defeated one if we stay strong in our faith. God knows our limits and He promises that He will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. So we know Satan is alive and wants nothing more than for us to turn away from God and give in to the evil desires of the flesh. He places temptations in front of us each day. It’s up to us to make the right choice.

So now the question for is, “How do we fight Temptation?”

Years ago many ships were lost at sea in accidents caused by overloading. After decades of losses, a man in England by the name of Samuel Plimsoll came up with the idea that a line should be painted on the side of merchant vessels to tell if the ships were overloaded. This line later became known as the Plimsoll Mark. It soon became illegal for any ship to be loaded more heavily than permitted by the Plimsoll mark on its side. God knows our Plimsoll Mark, and He will not allow Satan to overload us with more temptation than we can carry. Listen again to what Paul wrote in verse 13. When we are tempted, God will provide us a way out…or in other words, God will make a way for us to escape temptation.