The Only Way Out and the Only Way Forward - iBelieve Truth - May 13, 2024
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
What a gift it is to know that Jesus is our only way out of the hardest seasons in our lives. Because we were offered the gift to be in a relationship with Him, He is, by God’s grace, our only way forward. Not just into eternity, but during our time here on earth as well.
I recently got to speak with the youth group at our church, and I shared with the students the way God used 1 Corinthians 10:13 to show me the truth that He is my only way out and only way forward in this life, sharing how this changed my walk with Christ forever: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." We see here that God has given us an incredible promise, a promise that shows us He will always lead us in truth and only to places of freedom.
Paul continues sharing that we will always be given a way of escape, and that way comes from a life with Jesus. We will constantly find ourselves amid moments where we need an escape plan. This particular part of Scripture is speaking about temptation, hence why I was sharing it with youth group students. When we are faced with these moments, we need to have something or someone we can trust to stir up our hearts to be bold and willing to escape when we are in a place we know isn’t honoring the Lord.
That something and Someone is Jesus.
I shared with the students about the season of my life when this was the Scripture God used to pull me through. Sometimes, it still is the Scripture that pulls me through just in different temptations. I told them how some nights I would lay in my bed with tears streaming down my face, asking the Lord to continue to be bigger than my temptation. I look back at that prayer and I see that the Lord was always bigger than my temptation. What I was really meaning as I prayed that prayer was, “Lord, may my conviction to follow you be bigger and more desirable than the temptations in front of me.”
God was faithful. He was faithful to see me through that season, and He’s been faithful to see me through every season since then. He proved himself to be bigger than the temptations I faced over a decade ago, and He has still proven to be faithful today with temptations that look completely different.
This Scripture has shown me the faithfulness of God from season to season, revealing that His escape plan for us has never changed. We have the blessing of anchoring our life to the One who is our only way out and our only way forward in every circumstance.
Look here a little more closely, with additional context to what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:11-13: "Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
I hope you see a little more clearly that you can have faith in the Lord to pull you out of the pits when temptation, alerts, and conviction set in. He gave us His clear instruction, grace, and mercy to do so. He has proven faithful from generation to generation; I pray you see that, too.
Let’s pray together:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for providing a way of escape. The gift of your Holy Spirit is so powerful. I pray to never ignore the stirrings of it and the ways it corrects me. I ask that my heart will always be drawn to the way of escape and not settle for the deceptions of sin or temptations that come to distract me from what you’re trying to do in my life. Thank you for always being faithful from generation to generation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/PATSTOCK
Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women's Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
