COMMON TO MAN

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. I Corinthians 10:13

REFERENCE
I Corinthians 10:13

According to our passage, there is absolutely no temptation you are going through right now that is tailor-made for you; people through the ages have gone through the same temptations/challenges and have come out victorious, sometimes unscathed. Therefore, you have to see or approach any temptation/challenge as common; and right-size it, instead of viewing it as insurmountable. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.

We live in a fallen world, so life happens. We face difficulties, sicknesses, breakups, emotional stress, etc., and even though it is not God’s will for us to go through all this suffering, He is still faithful and compassionate. By His good nature, He will not let us go through something that we are not equipped to handle. A good teacher will not set a 6th grade examination for a 3rd grade student; neither will he give them tests based on something he never taught them.

Likewise, God will not let you face a test that is bigger than you. If you will dig deep within yourself, you will see that God has deposited in you enough wisdom to bear and escape any temptation; whether through a sermon you watched or heard preached, or perhaps, through your study of the Word. So, all you need to come out of any temptation is within you. You have what it takes, even if it does not seem so to you.

Within the temptation itself, there is a way out, so that you will not have any excuse to fail. Zacchaeus experienced a challenge when he wanted to see Jesus, because there was a massive crowd of people who also wanted to see Jesus at that same time, and he was short in stature. However, he could climb, and his escape out of that situation presented itself in form of a tree, so he climbed the tree and saw Jesus; thereby overcoming the challenge of the crowd and his short stature. All he did was to dig within and to look around.

There is nothing new under the sun, so there is nothing new about the temptation you are facing; whether marital, emotional, financial, physical etc. If people have overcome such temptations in the past then you can overcome. If God gave people the route to escape in the past, then be assured that He will show you the escape route too because He is not a respecter of persons. So, fret not! You’ve got this!

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