There Is an Exit

By Paul Chappell

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. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10:13–14

In 1994, a fire broke out at a club in Elizabeth, New Jersey. In the stampede to get away from the fire, four young people were trampled to death. The investigation revealed that the lighted sign over one of the two exits was not working at the time of the fire. Even worse, it was discovered that the exit door had been nailed shut—apparently to keep people from slipping in without paying. For those young people, there was no way of escape.

When we are tempted and give in to sin, we sometimes look for someone else to blame. But every sin is our responsibility. James 1:14 says that each of us is led to temptation "by his own lust." There is always a way for us to escape; the door is never nailed shut. But sometimes we don’t really want to take that escape. Someone said, “The hard part of resisting temptation is that we don’t want to discourage it completely.”

Playing with sin is one of the most dangerous things we can ever do. Instead of seeing how close we can get to the fire without being burned, the Bible instructs us, "flee also youthful lusts" (2 Timothy 2:22). God places the responsibility for escape on us because He provides the way to escape.

Next time you find yourself in a moment of temptation, remember that God provides the way for escape, and quickly flee before you find yourself trapped in sin.

Today's Rooted Principle:

God provides a way of escape, but we must choose to walk through the exit door.