Daily Bible Verses for 8/22/2016

Bible Verse
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Reading Notes
The Corinthian church was known for their immoral behavior, partly because they misunderstood grace and forgiveness. As a matter of fact the people of the city of Corinth were so well known for their immoral behavior that the name of the city itself became synonymous with immorality. The Apostle Paul wrote these words to give them guidance and direction. And this guidance is still valuable for us today. Temptation will happen in our lives. In addition, if we focus on this world, our desires can grow into sinful actions. However, our joy is in knowing that God will not allow Satan or others to tempt us more than we can bear. God will always provide us a way out. Our part is to have faith in God and avoid putting ourselves close to sin we know is occurring. We must keep ourselves away from sinful situations that can lead to compromise. We mustn’t let our pride and ego fool us into believing we can handle a sinful situation. As followers of Christ, we have to remember God does not cause temptation.

The temptation we experience is caused by the fallen world we live in, by our sin nature and by the spiritual warfare waged around us. James in the opening chapter of his letter to Jewish believers, explains that it’s our fallen desires and lusts, which then grow into sinful behavior. This means that temptation can arise because of the fallen world we live in, the spiritual warfare that is waged around us in the heavenly places, the sin of others as well as our own sin. However, God will always provide us with a way out. Therefore, one of the important and hardest things for us to remember as Christians is not to put ourselves too close to sin. We should remember Lot who originally pitched his tents in the general area of Sodom and Gomorrah. And as time went on he moved closer and closer until he was living in one of the most wicked cities ever known. Likewise, we too can fall into compromise and ruin, if we allow ourselves to remain in close proximity of sin. We have to remember spiritual warfare does exist, and our sin-nature is alive and active, and when we place ourselves to close to sin, we can create a foothold for sin to enter our lives. Rather, we are to flee sinful situations and try as best we can to live a life of transparency, displaying our love of God to those around us.