There is no way out of this one
Imagine being a pilot in a jet fighter (for some that will be difficult, but try anyway). You’re on a solo reconnaissance flight high over an enemy country. All is going well—until you notice a red light on the instrument panel blinking on and off. The message of that flashing light hits you like a fist in the face. It means that a radar-guided missile is locked in on your plane. Panic seizes you. If you turn to the right, the missile will hound you. If you turn to the left, it will hunt you until it finds you. If you climb, you will lose power and the missile will gain speed. If you nose down, the missile will move faster and swifter than you. There is no way out of this one!
You may have never flown a jet, but you no doubt have felt like you were in a situation where there was no escape. A radar-guided temptation was locked in on you and you knew that you couldn’t get away. A habit hounds you. No matter which way you turn it follows in hot pursuit. After a few battles with an equal number of losses, you feel there is no way out of this one. There is no escape.
If you have ever felt that way, hear what the Apostle Paul had to say: “No temptation has overtaken you except as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above that you’re able but will with the temptation also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
These words form Paul’s comfort to the tempted. The consolation is two-fold, man-ward and God-ward. First, believers can only experience what is common to man. When we think there’s no way out, it is because we are thinking, “I’m different” or “This situation is different.” If anyone else had the same set of circumstances, they could feel trapped too. Paul assures us that no one encounters an exceptional, extraordinary or superhuman temptation. Others have faced this problem and won. Details may differ, but the underlying difficulty is the same. Therefore, temptation can be resisted.
Secondly, God is faithful. He will not allow believers to be hemmed in so that the only way out is sin. He has promised to preserve His people and He is faithful.
Furthermore, God will provide a way of escape. You may have to think to find it. You will have to exercise your will (see “flee” in 1 Corinthians 10:14), but the way out is there. You are not the victim of your circumstances. It is like an army being trapped in the mountains that escapes from a seemingly impossible situation through a pass.
The Air Force has figured out how a jet can escape a radar-guided missile. Someone discovered that bats operate on radar and attack moths. So how does a pursued moth escape a radar-guided bat? Answer: he flips over on his back and dives down. Lo and behold, when a jet does that it escapes the missile. The Air Force has also found other ways of escape. The jet releases pieces of metal and the missile attacks one of them.
You may feel there is no way out of this one, but there is. There are probably several ways out. Remember, God is faithful. He has provided the way of escape. Search until you find it.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 3/2/2013
You may have never flown a jet, but you no doubt have felt like you were in a situation where there was no escape. A radar-guided temptation was locked in on you and you knew that you couldn’t get away. A habit hounds you. No matter which way you turn it follows in hot pursuit. After a few battles with an equal number of losses, you feel there is no way out of this one. There is no escape.
If you have ever felt that way, hear what the Apostle Paul had to say: “No temptation has overtaken you except as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above that you’re able but will with the temptation also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
These words form Paul’s comfort to the tempted. The consolation is two-fold, man-ward and God-ward. First, believers can only experience what is common to man. When we think there’s no way out, it is because we are thinking, “I’m different” or “This situation is different.” If anyone else had the same set of circumstances, they could feel trapped too. Paul assures us that no one encounters an exceptional, extraordinary or superhuman temptation. Others have faced this problem and won. Details may differ, but the underlying difficulty is the same. Therefore, temptation can be resisted.
Secondly, God is faithful. He will not allow believers to be hemmed in so that the only way out is sin. He has promised to preserve His people and He is faithful.
Furthermore, God will provide a way of escape. You may have to think to find it. You will have to exercise your will (see “flee” in 1 Corinthians 10:14), but the way out is there. You are not the victim of your circumstances. It is like an army being trapped in the mountains that escapes from a seemingly impossible situation through a pass.
The Air Force has figured out how a jet can escape a radar-guided missile. Someone discovered that bats operate on radar and attack moths. So how does a pursued moth escape a radar-guided bat? Answer: he flips over on his back and dives down. Lo and behold, when a jet does that it escapes the missile. The Air Force has also found other ways of escape. The jet releases pieces of metal and the missile attacks one of them.
You may feel there is no way out of this one, but there is. There are probably several ways out. Remember, God is faithful. He has provided the way of escape. Search until you find it.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 3/2/2013