Insights from Dr. Kim: A Way Out

Do you ever feel trapped? Maybe it’s a temptation that you have fought for a long time. There are times you think that you fight it well and there are other times that you give in. Again.  Temptations are there every day in our lives. Some have enormous consequences and others do not. Some not only affect us but those we love the most. I think we need to always remember that temptation in itself is not wrong. Temptation is not a sin. Jesus was tempted. Jesus also never gave in to temptation.  

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul gives us his take on temptation. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

In our marriages we will be tempted. We are tempted to act out our frustrations and our anger.  We are tempted to be selfish. There are all kinds of temptations on social media and on the internet. Temptation is everywhere we are. Temptation began with Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden and finds its way down through the generations to us today. There are temptation stories all through the Bible - from King David in the Old Testament to Peter in the New Testament. Each one had a choice when tempted. Do they give in or find a way out?

The same is true for us. Sin has consequences. Sin damages and sometimes destroys marriages. Do we give in or find a way out? God says that He won’t let us be “tempted beyond what we can bear.” I think that means that as humans we, in our own power, will fail. But when we turn to God He has the answer. He always has the answer. He always provides a way out.  

Next time you get frustrated with your spouse, turn to God and let Him give you a way out. The same is true when our selfishness threatens to overtake us. God has a way out. Before you take that step to connect with someone you should not on social media or are a split second away from a dangerous click on the internet, God provides a way out. When King David saw the beautiful woman Bathsheba bathing, there was a way out but David did not take it. When Peter denied Jesus three times, there was a way out - but he turned away from it. These are stories of men we admire in the Bible. David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet, with Bathsheba, he let his heart take him somewhere he knew he should not go. Peter loved Jesus but when faced with the choice to deny Him or tell the truth, Peter choose to deny.

What about us - me and you? What will we do when faced with temptation? Will we give in or turn to God and let Him lead us out? It’s always a choice. One choice brings life and victory while another brings defeat. What will you choose?

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