No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 

~1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

My daughter’s dog, Pepper, is an escape artist. If there is a way to get outside the yard, she will discover it, which she did once. Twice in two days, she escaped the fence. I was charged with finding out just where her secret exit was located–the way of escape.

My granddaughters ran around our fenced half-acre, diligently searching for any holes under the wire. They speculated about her leaping over the fence, but I told them to just walk around the inside of the fence and to watch as Pepper, too, walked and ran around the perimeter. If they simply watched her, she would inadvertently reveal her secret.

Sure enough, it didn’t take Pepper long to slow down at a certain point in the fence. He quickly and intently looked at a specific spot and then moved along to catch up with us. As we circled the yard again, I stopped at the main gate, where Pepper had slowed down and checked out.  We had cut two rectangular openings in the fencing that stretched across each side of the gate. A person could reach through either side to unhook the chains that fastened the gates closed. Those cut-out rectangles were just big enough for a dog of Pepper’s size to squeeze through if she stood on her hind legs and pulled herself up through them.  Mystery solved.

As I laughed about how clever she had been in discovering the way out, I was reminded of today’s scripture. Temptations are common to all of us. Depending upon our individual innate weaknesses, however, some are easier to turn from than others. It’s those others, though, that can bring about much grief, even the downfall of our reputations, businesses, marriages, or health if we succumb to them.

Therefore, let us learn to be clever escape artists like Pepper so we won’t succumb to such temptations. Let us diligently seek the way of escape that God promises to faithfully provide. And we will be successful when we humble ourselves in prayer, admit our weaknesses, and ask Him to strengthen us to resist temptation. He will also give us eyes to see the way to escape. Further, He will grant us the will to use it to gain victory over any and all temptations this world may set before us.

Make your plan of escape. 

Father God, thank You that we can count on You to provide everything we need to overcome the temptations this world offers. In Christ’s name, amen.

 

Genre: Non-fiction

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