By: Juliet Constantine

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 Cor 10:13)
 

I awoke from a very bizarre dream – a plot in which I was to be murdered.

It all started as practice for a skit. In the ‘dry run’ two females murdered about five or six persons – including myself. For the actual presentation, I got the strong impression that we would actually be murdered, as this was no play, it was real. So, in the dream I ensured that the door was properly fastened so that no one could get in. I then awoke the others with me and told them to let us flee for help because we would be murdered. We all left the room in search of help. Somehow we all got separated and I ended up alone facing my murderers. This time it was a male and a female – both pelting me with large rocks. I tried to stone them too but my throws weren’t having the impact I wanted. It was at this point that I realized that by myself I wouldn’t be able to overpower them; and in my cry for help, I awoke. Thank God it was just a dream – a welcomed escape route.

I immediately knelt to pray, thanking God for His protective care and deliverance. Then I heard whispers outside my window. In the shadows, I tiptoed closer to the window, trying to hear what the men were saying. Their conversation was inaudible. I returned to bed and again prayed for God’s protective care. I was impressed to turn on lights – after I did, the whispers of the men ceased.

As always, I asked the Lord what all this meant and was surprised when He told me “the escape route for temptation”. Like the ‘dry run’ for any program, temptation often enters our mind first–long before we are actually faced with the reality itself. Meeting the tempter in our mind is the practice session. How we handle the temptation at this stage is a clear indication how we will handle it when we are face to face with it. If you fail when the temptation comes to your mind, you will fail when you face it head on. That is the reason why Jesus said, “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart’.

When the tempter comes to our minds we need to look for the escape route. First, we can be assured that others have faced a similar testing, and many have passed. It is a natural occurrence and you can determine how you will handle it. An escape route is there waiting for you to take. You do not need to yield to the tempter. Stand for God in your ‘dry runs’ and you can be assured that you will stand for Him in the reality.

So, how is your commitment? You see, it wasn’t the scripture Jesus quoted that saved Him. He quoted the scriptures to let the devil know that He was committed to obeying His Father’s word. Many people can quote the Word but are not committed to it. But we are reminded to be doers of the word. We cannot go around compromising the world and expect to walk in victory. We must resist the devil; seek the escape route; and he will flee from us.

Like Jesus, the temptations we face are summarized in three categories: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Which is your stronger category? Where do you fall down the most? It’s time to assess your situation and ask God for strength and the commitment to seek the way of escape. Living with sin is not a dream; neither is it a ‘dry run’. It is reality! Let us look for the escape route and take it.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for waking me from that bizarre dream. It was a welcomed escape route. Also, thank You for providing ways to escape temptation when they come. Please help us to be committed to obeying You so that we can be victorious, first in our minds, and then when we face the tempter. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

 

Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)