No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.  1 Corinthians 10:13 HCSB

There are many of us out there that consider ourselves to be strong whether it be mentally strong, physically strong or both. We are confident in our ability to be able to do whatever we set our minds to do.

Yesterday I spoke of staying away from sin. Now I had always considered myself to be a strong person. I felt that I could find a way to conquer just about anything. But my sin was a different story. You see, I had come to rely on my sinful way of life. I thought that it brought me comfort. I was wrong. I thought that I couldn’t survive without it. I was wrong. I thought that God would just understand my situation and give me a pass. I was wrong. I couldn’t see how there could possibly be any way out of the mess I had made. I was wrong.

With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). We know this because we know that a flood overtook an area that had never seen rain (Genesis 6). We know this because we know that a young scrawny shepherd boy killed a giant with a stone and a slingshot (1 Samuel 17). We know this because a man spent an entire night in a lion’s den without a scratch on him or any rips in his clothing (Daniel 6). We know this because three men were thrown into a fiery furnace and came out not even smelling of smoke (Daniel 3:8-30). We know this because a young virgin gave birth (Luke 1:26-38). We know this because this baby grew to be a man without sin who healed the sick and even brought the dead to life (John 11:1-44). We know this because this same man who was without sin was mocked and beaten, humiliated (Luke 22:63-65), and crucified on a cross for your sin and for my sin (Luke 23:32-43). He died (Luke 23:44-49) and was buried (Luke 23:50-56). On the third day, He arose (Luke 24:1-8). He ascended into heaven (Luke 24:50-53).

Now if you believe these things, surely, you can believe that God can help you to be released from the bondage of your sin. If you don’t believe these things then you are not alone. Lee Strobel also doubted the validity of the Bible and didn’t believe the gospel and spent a great deal of time and effort trying to disprove it. This made a believer out of him and he documented all of this in his book, The Case for Christ, which was also made into a documentary and a movie. So, I won’t spend any time trying to prove all this to you, I will simply refer you to his study and his findings.

I grew up believing all of these things. I believed the Bible. But the devil had convinced me that for whatever reasons I just was trapped in my sin and I could not part with it. But you see our sin seems fun at first. It seems like it’s the way to go. We surrender to peer pressure. We surrender to our own flesh. But then it becomes burdensome. It drags us down. By that time, we are often unsure how to get out of it.

But our scripture passage today tells us that God is faithful. He will never tempt you with more than you can bear and He will always provide a way of escape. If you think that you can’t escape sin and temptation, you are wrong, my friend. If you think that you can’t let go of bitterness and unforgiveness, you are wrong. I used to think that myself. I used to tell myself that I just couldn’t forgive this person or I just couldn’t forget what they had done. I was wrong. I have learned that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). When the burden of temptation and sin seem to be too much to bear, turn to your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He will help you. He is there for you. If you think you can’t let go of your sin, you are wrong. With God’s help there is nothing we can’t do.

Have a great weekend!