Temptations

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. [1 Corinthians 10.12-13]

The question of timing comes to my mind as I read this passage of scripture today. When is the "way out" seen?

I would like to suggest that perhaps the instant the very thought of a temptation crosses one's mind is the very instant the "way out" is evident. It could be at that very moment is the opportunity to make the decision to go another way - do it differently - avoid even the possibility of giving in to the temptation. But how far back does that decision go? As far back as the decision to be in the position the temptation is present in!

Sometimes we have no predisposition or knowledge that temptation lurks. However, in other instances, we know quite well the circumstances in which temptation is the most likely to manifest. It would be at that moment a decision is available to avoid the temptation. Because we are conscious human beings, we have the ability to avoid circumstances that we know lead to temptation - even if we are not strong enough to avoid the temptation itself!

The problem with the solution above is that it may require making some hard decisions beforehand! It could require a lifestyle change. It could require a change of habit. It could require any number of different changes in order to realize the "way out".

Maybe the solution above is too humanistic... But at the end of the day, isn't the goal to avoid the temptation if at all possible? Are we to be nonchalant in our avoidance of sin, or to make every possible effort to avoid it? I think that answer is obvious!

Father, give me the grace to look back far enough to see where I need to make adjustments to avoid even the opportunities for temptation and to make those adjustments!