Here we are— the second month into the year, and if you’re like me, the struggle to resist temptation and keep my commitment to better myself is REAL. We face temptations everyday. But doesn’t it seem like the very second you commit to making a change in your life, Satan goes into OVERDRIVE to divert you on alternate routes?
You are not alone. In fact, the Bible clearly says “you’re not the only one” in the first part of 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT). “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.”
The verse goes on to give us hope. God will not let the impulse be bigger than you, and he always sends help, “…and God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
Can I tell you the hardest part for me? Looking for the way out. Many times, in the moment of desire, I don’t want to get out. I don’t want to resist. However, God knows engaging in temptation isn’t life-giving. It’s destructive, depressing, and dangerous. So, he shows us a way out. Reading this scripture in 1 Corinthians recently, I found myself praying, “Lord, help me look for the escape!” The way out is there, but the Bible doesn’t say God forces us to it; it says he “will show you a way out”. The choice is up to you, just as the choice is up to me.
Feel free to join me in praying regularly. Lord, help me look for the escape so that we can experience more life-giving moments every day.
Cari Kates
Director of Digital Content
STAR 93.3