October 30, 2007
1
Corinthians 10:13
No
temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but
with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to
bear it.
Yesterday, I wrote about how Christ is our door to the salvation we have need of today. Today I want to talk about how God has provided an open door of salvation that no one can shut to escape temptation.
Temptation. No one likes it. It forces us to make a decision. No one can make us fall into temptation. When temptation comes, we always have two choices. We either turn our back on the temptation or the voice of the Holy Spirit.
In 2 Samuel 11:1, we are told about the time David made wrong choices with Bathsheba.
First, David saw the beautiful woman bathing. Now here was his first opportunity to choose an open door of escape. He could have chosen to turn and walk right back in his palace or quit looking. Instead, he chose temptation and sent for her. Now he had a second opportunity for escape. He could have said, I have made a bad choice and told her to go back home. Temptation is always harder when you are looking at it face to face. Choosing temptation always leads to sin. David now coveted something that didn’t belong to him. Next, he lay with her. His second sin was adultery. Sin also has consequences. Bathsheba becomes pregnant. Now David is faced with his third temptation. Does he admit his sin or try to hide it? The door of escape is to confess and repent and face the consequences of his choices. David chooses temptation once again and tries to cover up his sin, which leads to more sin of deceit and manipulation. He tries to get Uriah to go home from the battlefield and sleep with his wife, so he will think the child is his. When Uriah refuses because he is a man of integrity, David is given one last opportunity to confess and repent. Again, David chooses temptation and devises a plan to have Uriah killed.
Covering our sin leads to more and more sin. In David’s case it ultimately led to murder. God provided many open doors of escape along the way. If we refuse to walk through the first open door, there will be another one, but it always involves facing the consequences of our sin from choosing the last temptation. David did finally choose the door of escape when Samuel came to him with a word from the Lord confronting his sins. David acknowledged that he had sinned against the Lord alone and repented. He still faced the consequences of his choices, which included rebellion against him from within his own household, the constant threat of murder in his family, his wives given to another in public, and the death of the conceived child. However, he got his relationship with the Lord straightened out and back on track.
God is faithful, when we choose to turn and walk through the door of escape, God forgives us and we move back into right relationship with Him. His desire is for us to learn to quickly choose His voice and walk through the open door of escape that He provides, so we can avoid the consequences of sin. Each time we do so, we get stronger and gain more victory! God has provided the way. Choose to walk in victory today!
Janet F.