A Fruit, A Choice, His Way Out
I often wonder how life would have been if Eve hadn’t let the devil trick her out of her spot. If she hadn’t eaten that fruit. If, instead, she had just walked out of that garden and went to talk to Adam first about her decision. We might have been spared a world of pain, that’s for sure.
But we can’t live in the gray space of “what if”. And we also aren’t called to dwell on things of the past.
So let’s fast forward to present times.
I often wonder how my life would be if I stop letting the devil trick me out of my spot. If I stop falling to temptation. If, instead, I choose to walk away and talk to God first about my decisions.
**mic drop** 🤯
See what I did there? It’s so easy for us to look at Eve and call her gullible, naive, or weak in the face of temptation.
But what about us? We are faced with way more than the lure of a juicy red apple (even though the Bible doesn’t ever mention the fruit being an apple, the idea of it being so is somehow common. Here’s an article I read on the subject: How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple)
Your “apple” may be a myriad of sins.
And to be honest with you all, I know my “apple” is. It may change day-to-day but I deal with gossip, envy, lust, gluttony, slander, ego, pride, laziness, boastfulness. The list is endless. I’m not ashamed of my list either (well, today I’m not because I do struggle with shame as well). Your list of bad fruit may look different than mine, but it’s all bad fruit nonetheless. We don’t talk about it enough and maybe we should, because we all struggle.
But what if, in the middle of that temptation, we brought it to God and talked to Him about what we’re up against? What if we allowed Him to turn us away from that temptation? What if we stopped for a moment and prayed this simple prayer:
“God, I’m struggling with this right now. Help me walk away.”
Can you imagine how much better we might be able to endure if we took this route? I’m amazed at just the thought of it let alone having applied it yet. Why?
God doesn’t just watch us struggle, He asks us to allow Him to step in.
I know our Father in Heaven will stand in front of us and take on the weight of temptation for us.
He did on the cross and He does it every single day.
(Praise break)
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says this:
“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.”
Look at how much love, care, and tenderness is in this one verse. 💖
Break it down with me.
Temptation of any kind is common. That means that what you’ve gone through, so did your father, your fathers father, your fathers fathers father, and … you get the idea. We don’t have a monopoly on sin and temptation. Believe it or not, that’s actually relieving. Let go of the weight of feeling alone in your fight.
God is faithful. Even when tempted by sin, God is faithful to us. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. Even when we touch the fire, He. Is. Still. Faithful.
He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can endure. He believes in us and He knows our limits. How would He possibly know what we can endure if He doesn’t know us? It’s because He knows us that deeply.
Not only can we rest in His faithfulness to us, but God also gives us the escape route. He shows us how to leave the burning building so that we’re not engulfed in the flames (I couldn’t resist adding a metaphor. Not too much on me. Jesus talked in parables lol).
How beautiful and soul-stirring is that though?! I don’t know about anyone else but this scripture, in a way, minimizes the grandeur that is temptation.
You ever watch the movie IT and how, when the kids stood together to defeat the clown, he started to shrink and eventually became dust? Like the power of fear he once had over them was gone. That’s how 1 Corinthians 10:13 makes me feel. That when we turn to God in our time of need, He can make that temptation shrivel up and become one with the wind.
Image God’s mighty hand crushing all that’s trying to come against you. Wow.
Guys, maybe the difference between giving in and resisting isn’t in our own strength, it’s in the One we seek first.
Reflection 💭
Take a moment and sit with your “apple”. What temptations plague you? What do you wrestle with giving over to God? What does temptation look like in this season of your life?
Now ask yourself this:
What would it look like or how hard would this be for me if I were to stop for a moment and bring this to God before making a move? Right here in this moment, how can God help me overcome this mountain in front of me?
Remember friends, God isn’t asking you to be perfect, He’s inviting you to be honest.
Because maybe the escape route you’ve been looking for isn’t a door, maybe it’s a ladder.
Prayer 🛐
Father God,
Thank You for knowing me. Thank You for the comforting reminder that my temptations are not beyond what I can withstand. Thank You for always giving me a way out of sin, even the times I may not see it or even take it, Lord. Thank You for always being faithful to me. Lord, thank You for Your Son who went to the cross and took on the weight and wages of my sins. I am free and no longer dead in my grave. I am not worthy, Lord, yet I still receive Your loving grace and mercy every day. For that, I will continue to give You praise and worship. I may be walking in the wilderness but You have not forsaken me. God, continue to shepherd me and lead me down the narrow path that leads to Your Kingdom.
We love You and give You all the glory, God.
In Jesus’ Mighty and Precious Name,
Amen. Amen. Amen.
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