Taming Temptation

“But with the temptation,” Paul writes, “[God] will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

When it comes to temptation, God begins with the end in mind. He already knows exactly how we can escape. We tend to think of Him as watching us anxiously, perhaps ready to throw down a rope ladder if things become tense. But in truth, God has it all mapped out—and He had it done long before you and I were born. He knows our circumstances; He knows our character; He knows the plan that will provide victory and new maturity. As your crisis unfolds, God has already provided the way of escape you need. Please engrave that into your heart so you’ll remember it the moment you’re tempted. The escape hatch is nearby, and the door is open.

And why? Hebrews 2:18 tells us that as Christ suffered, He can help us through our sufferings. Because He walked the road of temptation, He knows the right and wrong turns. “I know exactly what you’re facing,” Jesus says with an arm around your shoulders. “Follow Me—let Me show you a way out of here—that I found myself.”

Over time I believe I’ve discovered that temptation isn’t so much a matter of what we do, but of whom we love. Knowing Christ—really knowing Him, not simply knowing about Him—changes everything. More often than not, power in the time of temptation comes because we’ve filled our minds with His magnificence, and there’s no room for the world’s shabby offerings. There’s power in the name of Christ, and there’s power in His presence as well.

Worship and fellowship with God in the morning actually make it difficult to walk right out into the world and commit some transgression. Knowing that we’ve just been in the presence of the Lord of creation, and that we’re carrying Him with us, makes it very difficult to sink to our lowest levels. The best escape Jesus provides is His own embrace.

I challenge you to think about the times when you’ve been tempted. Perhaps it was a serious moral issue, or only a second helping of dessert you didn’t need. Whatever the gravity of the iniquity, I submit that you were aware of a defining moment in the instant of decision. The way of escape was, in that moment, made clear to you. Can you remember? There’s always a point at which the still, small voice whispers to us with the directions out of the maze. A thought rushes through the head: This is wrong. I can avoid this. And right there, we have our best opportunity to walk away. But if we push that moment aside, if we permit the birds of temptation to nest in our hair (in Martin Luther’s memorable analogy), then victory becomes more and more difficult.

When you see the Exit sign glowing in the dark, push it open and make tracks. Missionary Jim Elliot said, “Don’t put yourself in a position to see how good your resistance is. When you feel temptation coming, get out of there!”

The Greek word for escape in 1 Corinthians had the connotation of a narrow passage out of a treacherous canyon. In California, where I live, we have a few areas of rugged landscape, so I have a good mental picture of this idea. You might climb down into a canyon and find yourself trapped. You’re grateful to find the narrow way out. Paul says that if you see that little path, don’t walk past it! You’ll never pass this way again, but will sink deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Those drawn to the possibility of adultery will affirm the defining moment—the window of best opportunity for escape. In your business, perhaps you’ve had a working relationship with someone of the opposite sex. You’re married; perhaps he or she is, too. It all begins with a friendship that moves a bit too far, too close, too fast. The time comes when you realize where this thing is heading. So does the other person. It’s there in the eyes, in the body language, in what is said and what is not said. You have that moment when you know you can walk away safely—and if you ignore the warning lights, it will be that much harder to put on the brakes later. So often, this is your way of escape, provided by God, prompted by His Holy Spirit. Ignore it at your own peril—but never claim that you didn’t see it coming.

David Jeremiah, Slaying the Giants in Your Life (Nashville, TN: W Pub., 2001), 94–96.

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