1 Corinthians 10:13

 A WAY OF ESCAPE



Our Lord Jesus Christ has thought of everything!  He not only suffered, died, and rose again for us, but He also "covered" us, in the very probable case that we would get ourselves into trouble.  He did what He always does, He made "A Way of Escape."

  "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

When our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by satan, telling Him to turn the stone into bread; the Lord said to him, "It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God."  Then again in Luke, chapter 4, when satan tempted the Lord by taking Him to the high place and offering to give it all to him if He would worship him, Jesus stated, "For it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."  We have been given a "key" to the way out of every temptation .... "The Word of God."  Our "hole to freedom" can only be effective if we "know" the Bible and can recall the pertinent scripture when we are in those dire straights, better known as the very throws of temptation.  

The "Way of Escape" is simple; if we quote it to ourselves, "For it is written ..."  Then, we move on through that "hole" as fast as our stumbling little feet can carry us.  It's a lot like what Joseph did when Potiphar's wife set her sights on him and said, "come lie with me."  Joseph refused and fled saying, "...how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"  Joseph remembered the Word and called it what it was, a sin, and then ran for his life.  

In our times of temptation, we often have a fleeting recollection of the vivid picture of the sin we're about to commit, but we conveniently forget the "run for the escape hole" part.  It's not until our "coat left behind" appears in the News that we painfully and shamefully state, "I should have run for the hills."

Three little words, "It is written" would save our lives, spare us from irreparable damage and despair, keep our families together, uphold our virtuous reputations, and preserve our souls, if we applied them in times of temptation.

The Lord Jesus Christ puts a lot of stock in that little word "escape."  Everything He did and does is to save us from the inevitable, everlasting torment.  He has planned the biggest escape of all, stated in Luke 21:36; "Watch ye therefore, and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."  He is referring to the great tribulation period, which is judgment for all those who "didn't run for the escape hole," but who yielded to their lusts and desires, who threw caution to the wind and did what felt good, instead of "It Is Written."

                                                                                                                                                  By Sheryl Fowler

(Visit promiseland.net and theexperience238.com.  PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, "Austin In Love," Pastor Kenneth Phillips)