Today we all face many trials and temptations that are common to mankind. Whenever God puts His people into difficult circumstances, He’ll allow us to be tempted to see what way we’ll react. But our opponent, Satan, can always be found there also—resisting or fighting us. He never stops trying to turn man toward his evil temptations. As long as we’re alive, we’ll be subject to certain longings for someone or something that promises satisfaction or enjoyment, along with our human nature’s natural drives. Yet God will make a way to escape these temptations.
God Provides a Way to Escape Temptation
The Lord could allow His people to be tried beyond what we’re able to bear, but He won’t do it. He’ll assure us of a way out of all our trials and will make for us a way to escape. Therefore, it would certainly be logical for us to assume that God will save and preserve those people that He’s taken as His own.
Now think about this: Temptation talks to us by name and will even try to reason with us! Satan’s goal is to get mankind to adopt what’s unacceptable as acceptable.
The serpent talked with Eve in the garden of Eden and told her that it would be all right to do the things God forbids. Now think about this: Temptation talks to us by name and will even try to reason with us! Satan’s goal is to get mankind to adopt what’s unacceptable as acceptable. But Adam and Eve were not to assume that something is true based only on their own understanding and strength. They were to be strengthened and taught by the grace of God and they’d therefore have nothing to fear.
Responsibility for Overcoming Temptation
If we’re being led into temptation, it’s not the same as running into it, which means we’re “tempting God.” “Jesus said…Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7). God makes a way for us to escape from each and every temptation, because He’s faithful. “Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). He has control of all circumstances, but we have to make use of them, since it’s our responsibility.
The Lord is able to keep His children by His power through our belief and trust in Him. He’ll always be faithful to us. He doesn’t simply take the trial away—He makes sure that those who are His own are able to avoid or to stand up against it. Therefore, no matter what temptation or trial we may face, we can be certain that God will always provide a way to escape.
It’s important for His children to make use of it, whenever God makes a way to escape. But He’ll never force us to stay away from temptation or to do what’s right. We must do this ourselves. The only way we’re able to overcome in our trials is by being obedient to His Word and depending on Him.
We’re responsible for our failure—not God, because He made the way to escape available to us. This shows that He stayed faithful, but we didn’t.
Satan will hit believers with temptation to draw us in. When it comes, he’ll always provide it in the way that’s most appealing to us. But the Lord will always provide us with a way of escape. If we do fall into such a situation, it means that we failed to take the way to escape He provided, because we didn’t listen to and obey His voice. We’re responsible for our failure—not God, because He made the way of escape available to us. This shows that He stayed faithful, but we didn’t. The responsibility for our sin and unfaithfulness is not His—it’s ours.
God Knows Our Capacity to Resist Temptation
The tests and trials we face don’t go beyond our human capability, since we can only be tempted by what’s “common to man.” This can also mean that they’ll be in proportion to our own human strength. These are all tests that people could, and have, resisted. Since God knows “…how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” (2 Peter 2:9), He’ll be certain to fulfill His side of the bargain. If we’ll just do our part, we’ll find that “…the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
God’s Way to Escape Temptation
Whenever we face threatening trials and danger, God will encourage us to ask for His presence and to wait for His help. His method of deliverance will be ready at the same time that the temptation arrives. The way to escape will be different in different trials, but, when the temptation comes, God will provide us with special means of finding our way out. If we lack confidence or trust in Him and we yield to the temptation, then we’re cowardly. When the trial comes, He’ll provide us with enough strength to resist.
Satan is never given permission to obstruct our way without God’s guidance being available for us to make a way through. Any people of God who face crises and difficulties can be sure that there’s a way out, just as they found a way into the situation. They can also be certain that the trial will never demand more than the strength God will give us to bear it.
It’s never God’s plan or desire for people to fail or fall under His tests, nor to be overwhelmed by a trial or weighed down by sin.
God Controls the Motives and Occurrences Leading to Temptation
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man…” (James 1:13). Being tempted to sin isn’t unheard of or out of the ordinary, it’s only “according to man.” We’re therefore able to trust God’s loving care to the point of understanding that no trial will ever happen to us which might turn out to be beyond our ability to resist. It’s never God’s plan or desire for people to fail or fall under His tests, nor to be overwhelmed by a trial or weighed down by sin.
The people of God have the strength in Him to resist all temptations that attack us. In every situation where people fall into sin, man’s the one who’s to blame and who must answer to God. Therefore, if we do fall under the power of sin, we have no one to blame but ourselves. And this is especially true of Christians, who have no right to claim that there wasn’t enough power to meet the test, or to turn its power aside.
God Promises a Way to Escape Temptation
“But will with the temptation…” At the same time that God allows a trial or temptation to come on us, He’ll make a way of deliverance for us. He’ll save us from being totally defeated by it, so “that [we] may be able to bear it….” Since He has entire control of everything that can affect us, He’ll conform all trials to the strength we have, and make us able to bear all that’s been assigned to us.
But don’t think that God will protect His people if we aren’t willing to exert any effort on our part. And don’t think that He’ll shield us if we’ve suddenly thrown ourselves into testing. If God’s people have searched for His help, and depended on His promises, and used the right way, and resisted temptation—then He’ll be willing to be faithful to help them in return. Adam and Eve had the kind of temptations that all human nature has often been exposed to, and God could have kept them from falling into temptation—if they had only done what He said.
All the motives and occurrences leading to tests and trials are under God’s control. He can forcefully hold them back and redirect them. And He can also destroy them and their effect. Therefore, God encourages us to pray to Him to “…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” (Matthew 6:13).
God doesn’t tempt human beings to do what’s against His will. Therefore, whenever people find themselves tempted, it’s only because God has permitted it, not because He ordered it.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:12-14). God doesn’t tempt human beings to do what’s against His will. Therefore, whenever people find themselves tempted, it’s only because God has permitted it, not because He ordered it.
God Will Make a Way to Escape for His People
The Lord will never produce some object of temptation to put in our way. But He will permit others to put one in front of us. We also need to remind ourselves that there’s a good reason why He allows it. He wants it to glorify Him in some way, and to help our righteousness to move forward.
God will encourage us during all our periods of temptation. He knows what His people undergoing tests and trials are capable of enduring. It doesn’t make any difference how painful the trial may be, or how long it will continue, or how much we feel inadequate. The same One who laid out the trial is more than able to carry us all the way through it. We can therefore trust His mercy and grace to carry us through, and let everything rest on Him.
The Apostle Paul spoke of the kind of human temptations that come from men. He was referring to the reproaches and persecutions for the sake of Christ and His Gospel. These are trials of faith, grace and patience. Whenever we become involved in any of these, there’s great danger that we might fall away from God. If someone is tempted with enough cunning and doesn’t ask God to protect him, even the most spiritual person could fall at any time. But the Lord will always give His people the strength to overcome whatever test or affliction He allows to happen to them—if they’ll simply ask Him to.
God Provides Strength to Overcome Temptation
God also promised to never leave or forsake us. He knows what the best manner, time and way will be to deliver His people from trials and temptation. He’ll carry and save us to the maximum. Then we’ll be able to hold on and hold out to the very end. He’ll make a way of escape for any trial or affliction which couldn’t come any other way.
Whenever His people make an important request of Him, He gives them enough grace to carry through and stand up under it—and even to be victorious over it.
The Lord will always open a way so that we’ll be able to escape out of temptations, at least to the degree that they won’t pressure and destroy us. But He doesn’t always consider it appropriate to remove an affliction or temptation immediately. Whenever His people make an important request of Him, He gives them enough grace to carry through and stand up under it—and even to be victorious over it. Then they can be more than conquerors!
But God never promised that He’d keep us from falling if we aren’t looking out for ourselves. He’ll assign our burdens to us according to our degree of strength, since He knows just how much we’re able to take. He’ll either deliver us from the trial itself, or at least from its harm.
But He will make for us a way to 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” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The Lord encourages us to continue to flee from sin and to be faithful to Him. If we’ll only hold firmly to Him, there’s no temptation that will be able to make us fall. All who believe in God will be energized to overcome temptation, along with all its snares and horrors. We can be certain that a way of escape will be provided for God’s people!
Continue to trust in His faithfulness. He’ll never allow His child to be tried or tested beyond his own strength.
“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). Continue to trust in His faithfulness. He’ll never allow His child to be tried or tested beyond his own strength. Instead, in every trial and time of temptation, God will always provide a way to escape.
[Additional image credits: Featured image by Matthias Zomer on Pexels; Opening image generated by AI through MS Copilot]
