Change Your Life - Know Your Victory
- Paul Downie
- May 4
- 20 min read
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
[13] 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.
As the Coronavirus was slowly leaving our shores, and since we couldn’t holiday overseas, my family and I headed through Scotland on days out on short breaks. One such day out took us to the south-west coast and the ruined Dunure Castle, south of Ayr.
Near to the Castle and its rocky beach, at the foot of a small cliff, is a labyrinth – a maze made of plants. We were looking forward to visiting it. We thought it would be fun to get lost in the labyrinth and try to find our way out.
But when we found Dunure Labyrinth, we were a little taken aback and disappointed. We were expecting a maze of hedges and trees that would present a challenge to our sense of direction.
What we saw instead were tiny shrubs, barely even ankle high.
It was easy to crack that maze. We could see over the entire thing with ease, or simply step over it.
Temptation can be for us a bit like a labyrinth – like one from Greek methodology, with a furious, bloodthirsty minotaur patrolling its narrow walkways. We feel fear, or even terror, as we to navigate it, afraid that we will never make it out, or that the wild beast will consume us.
If that is how you feel – if your temptation seems dangerous and inescapable, holding you captive until it eventually consumes you - then I have some amazing news for you:
The labyrinth of your temptation is like the labyrinth at Dunure.
It’s small.
There is no threat.
It’s easy to navigate when you look at it from above.
You can escape it.
And this verse tells you how.
Taking in the message of this verse has made a tremendous difference to me. I hope and pray that it will for you too.
As we study it, bear in mind that the word translated as ‘temptation’ here can also be translated as ‘trial’. That is, as well as the temptation to do wrong, it also speaks of the times when we are suffering and are tempted to give up.
Let’s start by looking at Your Temptation.
Your Temptation
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
[13] No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.
‘Why is this happening to me?’
Have you ever heard that question being asked. Normally it’s the result of a severe misfortune, like the loss of a job of the taking away of an opportunity, or some form of failure or health problem, or even bereavement.
If you are the only person you know who is suffering from it, you might wonder if somehow you are being singled out by God; if He ‘has it in for you’. You may wonder what you have done to deserve it.
But because some sin causes suffering does not mean all sin causes suffering. Just because God causes some people to suffer for their disobedience does not mean that you are suffering for yours.
So why do we suffer?
The reality is that often we don’t know. These things can happen without an explanation.
And why are we tempted or tried?
Sometimes there is a purpose – like Paul’s thorn (2 Corinthians 12:1-10). We can understand it.
But often it seems like there isn’t one.
This verse tells the truth about temptation.
However, we may find it hard to receive this truth.
There are two sides to it. The first side is the negative side: the lure the devil or the world sets out for you, the trap they set, they plans they have for your destruction (John 10:10), are not unique. They are not special. They are not coded uniquely to your foibles and weaknesses.
They are common.
It doesn’t take a special order to cause you to fall. Instead, it’s an a la carte, common-garden, every day temptation. Nothing big. Nothing flashy. Nothing expensive or grandiose.
Just something normal.
And that is tough to hear.
Our ego would like to think that the devil has to push the boat out to bring us down.
The uncomfortable truth is that he does not: we fall all too easily to the same temptations as other people.
We would like to think that he has to deploy his demonic special forced to defeat us.
The uncomfortable truth is that he does not. In fact, he doesn’t need to deploy anything.
Most times, we tempt ourselves.
We would like to think that we endure the first class, chauffeur-driven, caviar-tasting, champagne-coiffing elite level of temptation.
We don’t.
We are in coach.
And that home truth is very bruising to our inflated ego.
But it doesn’t stop it being true.
However, there is a positive side.
If we are falling to precisely the same temptations as other people – or, at least, facing them, it means that we are not alone.
And that is crucial.
Because temptation is an horrifically isolating experience. Yes, other people can be responsible for setting out the lure, but the choice to give in to it is yours and yours alone.
What’s more, the remorse you feel when you realise that you have let God, and yourself, down is also yours and yours alone.
As is the shame.
So is the feeling of being the worst sinner, of thinking that you have crossed the line and gone too far; that grace cannot possibly extend to you; that God’s people will reject you and cast you out and excommunicate you if they ever find out what you have done.
That is isolating too.
So is the hypocrisy, the concealment, the walls that keep others out, the imposter syndrome, the fear, the paranoia.
All incredibly isolating.
But this verse busts that all wide open.
Because when you are tempted – even when you succumb – you are not alone.
There are many thousands, maybe even millions, of Christians facing the exact same temptation as you, and some of them will also succumb.
What’s more, there are Bible characters from Genesis to Revelation, also human beings like you, who faced the same temptations as you, and you can learn from them.
Look at Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 16:1-3), Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39), the fall of the Israelites at Baal Peor (Numbers 25), Achan’s sin (Joshua 7), David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) and many, many more.
In all of these temptations – every last one – there is a pattern:
There is a lure, which God has either outright forbidden or has not yet provided
The thought is planted that this lure is good, and that God is not, because He has not provided it
The temptation appears.
The temptation is considered, and in some cases rationalised
The temptation is acted upon
All of them are the same. Every last one.
Do you see it? Do you perceive it?
Temptation is always the same! It is common!
Often we are intimidated by the temptations we face. We believe that we will never conquer them. We believe they are insurmountable.
Well, when I was a boy, I watched one of the greatest ever football (soccer) coaches in history take a provincial Scottish team into a match against the mighty Real Madrid – and they won. They won because that coach made them believe it was possible.
I want to copy Sir Alex Ferguson and make you believe that this is possible. You can resist your temptations. You will resist your temptations.
But that resistance begins by seeing them as they are. They are not giants; they are midgets.
They are not terrifying; they are small.
They are also not permanent; they are light, momentary and temporary.
They are not a Greek labyrinth. There is no monster at the heart of the maze.
They are just a wind-swept ornamental garden in Ayrshire, Scotland.
They are not special; they are common.
And because of that, you will win.
How we perceive our temptation really matters. If we perceive it as insurmountable, as irresistible, as unbeatable, then we will be locked into it for the rest of our days.
But if we realise that it can be beaten, then we will be in a position to resist it.
Apart from the true nature of our temptation, you also need to know Your God.
Your God
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
[13] And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
There are so many sales people out there who try to sell us the secrets of their success.
They are con-men.
The secret to their success is charging naive people a fortune to discover the secret of their success. Essentially, it’s a Ponzi scheme of knowledge.
Don’t fall for it.
Instead, this verse tells us, completely free of charge, the way we can escape from every temptation that drags us down and entangles us. That first step to freedom is to believe just three words and be utterly convinced of them in your mind.
What are those three words?
God is faithful.
That might seem like nothing. However, consider this:
Paul taught about the goodness of God in that famous verse in Romans.
Romans 8:28 NIV
[28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
We also know from Hebrews 12:1-3 that there are two categories of things that hold us back – things that are not morally wrong but weigh us down, and things which are morally wrong and entangle us.
Both of these represent possible lures that can tempt us.
Put these together and we see that God is good, but we can be tempted to do things that are good, but not necessarily good for us now, and things that are not good and will never be good.
Now let’s travel back to Eden, to the first ever temptation.
Genesis 3:1-5 NIV
[1] Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” [2] The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, [3] but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” [4] “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. [5] “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
What is the serpent doing?
He is causing Eve to doubt two things: the Word of God and the Character of God. He is trying to get Eve to believe that God has withheld something good from her that would be good for her.
In essence, he is trying to get Eve to believe that God is not good, and that His intentions are not good.
Right there, in that freeze-framed picture, we see the very essence of how temptation works.
When we are tempted to do something God has said we should not do, or to obtain something God has kept from us, what we are actually doing is doubting both God’s Word and His character. We are believing that God is not good, His intentions are not good, His timing is not good, His will is not good, and so we should go ahead and get things done for ourselves.
Take a look at what Sarah said before she exploited her servant and gave her to her husband Abraham:
Genesis 16:1-2 NIV
[1] Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; [2] so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
She blamed God for her decades of childlessness, despite having been promised a child, and so she connived her own solution.
A solution which caused the birth of the Arab race, who, for centuries, have been against the children of her son Isaac.
Do you see the problem?
Being tempted is not an issue and nothing to worry about – everyone is tempted.
But when we succumb to temptation and do something we know is wrong, we are expressing a lack of faith in the character of God: that He is good, kind, loving, faithful and has our best interests at heart.
In short, we stop trusting Him and instead we start trusting ourselves.
And that is never the right thing to do.
That accusation is very serious, I know. However, it also provides us with hope. Because if disbelieving in the faithfulness of God is what causes us to succumb to temptation, then believing – really deep-down believing – in the faithfulness of God will cause us to be victorious over temptation.
Consider this famous verse:
Psalms 23:1 NIV
[1] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
If we really deep down believe this verse, will we succumb to temptation to get what we need without God?
No.
Why would we?
When He is our shepherd we lack nothing.
So, you see, knowing the nature of our temptation allows us to see that we are not facing an insurmountable problem or an unbeatable foe. Instead, we are facing an issue we can defeat. Knowing and believing in our God provides us with an impregnable defence against temptation, regardless of the lure.
But there is something else you need to know: Your Salvation.
Your Salvation
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
[13] But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out.
I don’t know about you, but if I am in a plane or a ship, I obey the safety instructions and familiarise myself with the emergency exits.
It’s always a good idea, isn’t it? That way on the rare occasion when trouble comes, you know where to go.
When I was in my teens, I spent time on the streets with gangs who were into getting drunk on cheap alcohol and taking drugs. I didn’t join them in what they were doing. I was there to try, in some small way, to point them to Jesus. However, I did not live in the neighbourhoods where they hung out. So I went there with our dog during the daylight to survey the streets and alleyways so that if anything untoward happened – and the potential was always there as these guys carried weapons – then I could get away safely and quickly.
It’s just sensible, isn’t it? It’s prudent. It’s like Greek legend of Ariadne, who helped her lover Thesius escape the labyrinth after he had slain the minotaur. The legend says that she escaped the maze by attaching thread to the exit of the labyrinth and unspooling it as they walked through it, and then followed the thread back out.
That tale – although only a legend – teaches a truth: getting into something is easy; getting out can be hard.
That is how temptation is. All too easily we are drawn by the lure into the labyrinth. That happens too quickly. All too slowly, we find our way back out – if ever.
Paul’s teaching here gives us hope. What He says is this: our temptation is small, God is great, and there is always a way out of temptation. Always. One hundred percent of the time.
That is why we see this elsewhere in Scripture:
1 Corinthians 10:14 NIV
[14] Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
1 Timothy 6:11 NIV
[11] But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
1 Corinthians 6:18 NIV
[18] Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
2 Timothy 2:22 NIV
[22] Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
It is not possible to flee from anything unless there is an exit.
And there is. There always is.
It might not be easy. It might not be cheap. It might not be convenient . It might not be risk free.
But there is always an exit.
What we have to do is find it.
Joseph knew all about that, when he was accosted by Potiphar’s wife, a woman way more powerful than him:
Genesis 39:11-12 NIV
[11] One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. [12] She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
Yes, he was falsely accused. Yes, he ended up in jail.
But God provided him with a way out, even from there.
There are countless other Bible stories when Biblical heroes found themselves trapped and in difficult circumstances, but God helped them get out of there. In many of them, their very life was at stake.
So of course – of course – He is able to find us a way out when we are tempted.
We just have to find it.
In the Bible, temptation is not just about being lured to do something morally wrong.
Temptation is a test of our sincerity and our spirituality. It is a way of showing to us, more than anyone else, who we truly are.
Temptation doesn’t just come when we have the possibility to have or to do something God has kept from us; it also strikes when we are forced to endure a difficult situation and could ease it by abandoning everything we know is right and true.
That is why the Bible contains two kinds of exits from testing and temptation.
The first of these is in the now. It is a present-day exit from a trying situation. That exit is, as we saw earlier, based on our firm belief that God is faithful and good and righteous and just.
It is a means to back out and leave a situation where we are being tempted to do wrong – to flee from it.
That is what Joseph did.
The second of these is the then. This is the hope we see towards the end of the Bible and the end of time:
Revelation 21:3-5 NIV
[3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. [4] ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” [5] He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
It is the hope that temptation will be gone and trials will end, because sin and darkness will be banished and we will be with Our Lord forever.
When you are battling a sinful, harmful habit or addiction, the thing that affects you the most is the lack of hope: you lose hope that you will ever break free. You lose hope that you will ever get better.
But there is hope.
There is always hope.
There is hope in Jesus Christ who is greater than your addiction, greater than your habit, greater than your temptation.
But it just isn’t the case that He can set you free. No, He has already set you free. He has already given you the way out of the trap you find yourself in.
That way out is to trust yourself to His faithfulness, His character and His love, to stand up, to puff out your chest, to resist temptation and to flee from it.
When you do that, the long dark tunnel of your addiction to sin will end. You will be dazzled by the light of your freedom and your life will begin again.
With that in mind, and what we have seen already about our temptation, our God and the certainty of our salvation from our sin, what seems next might seem a little odd, because now we are going to look at Your Endurance.
Your Endurance
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
[13] 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.
Have you ever watched a big athletics competition like the Olympics? There are short distances races like the hundred metres that are over very quickly – in a matter of seconds.
There are middle distance races that are over in a matter of minutes.
And then there is a marathon. It can take between three and four hours for a winner to be declared.
Of course, followers of cricket might argue that their game takes even longer – up to five days. But they pause in the middle of theirs for lunch, dinner and tea and cakes. When did you last see a marathon runner do that?
Three to four hours watching people run. Let me tell you, unless you have someone you know or follow running in such a race, it’s quite boring to watch!
But if you’re running it, it’s anything but boring. Painful, but not boring.
Why am I mentioning marathon running?
Because some people are so blessed that beating their sin is like a hundred metres race – the competition is over in seconds and they have won.
But for others, it’s more like a marathon race, and one that lasts for years, or even decades, not minutes or seconds. They face constant and unrelenting battles against trials and temptations. It may seem for them like their race is never-ending, like there is no finish line.
But there is.
And that glorious reality is what keeps us going.
The word used here for ‘endure’ means ‘to bear a load’.
We could think of this as being in a gymnasium. Now, I don’t frequent gymnasiums. I had enough humiliation in gym class at school. I don’t need to pay for it.
However, my daughter does. There are often personal trainers in gyms. They may ask you to bench press a certain weight. Then they will slowly add to it. And add to it. And add to it.
Their aim is to make you stronger by constantly increasing the weight you are lifting.
Eventually, you will reach a weight that you can’t lift anymore.
What this verse is saying is that God will not place a weight on your shoulders that He knows you cannot bear.
However, He will provide you with hope. He will provide you with an exit from under that weight. And that way out will help you to endure it when you bear that weight.
Now, it’s key that we understand this verse correctly. Elsewhere we see this verse in Scripture:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
[16] Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. [17] For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. [18] So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
This is the same principle, although it’s applied to persecution and not temptation.
By anyone’s definition, Paul’s troubles were far from light, and some were far from momentary:
2 Corinthians 11:24-29 NIV
[24] Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, [26] I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. [27] I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. [28] Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. [29] Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
He also faced this:
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV
[7] Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. [9] But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [10] That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
And in Romans 7:7-25, we also see that he faced moral temptation to do what God said should not be done.
Yet he sees all of these troubles and temptations as light and momentary.
Why?
Because, in the context of eternity, that’s what they are.
Because he appreciates that they will not be around forever, but God will. And grace will. And Heaven will. And the reward for his faithfulness to God will.
And so he endures them all.
When people without Christ go through trials and temptations, they often cave in.
Why?
Because their lives are meaningless and hopeless. They do what is expedient and ‘right for me’ because there is no way out from suffering for them: they suffer, then they die. That’s it. Game over.
But we are fundamentally different. We face trials and temptations with moral courage, not cowardice, because we know they are light and momentary.
We know there is an exit, and each passing day takes us one day closer to it.
Conclusion
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
[13] 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.
The Italian city of Lucca is absolutely well worth visiting. Not so far from Pisa, it’s historical walled city is just simply beautiful.
However, it also feels like a veritable rabbit warren of narrow streets and lanes. It is ridiculously easy to get lost, and to feel very lost.
But if you lift your head and keep your eyes on your location relative to towers and church steeples, you can navigate this medieval wonder and enjoy its delights for yourself.
Temptation is a little like a place like Lucca, except it’s designed to make us feel downcast and afraid, to make us think we are lost and beyond help. The lures set out by the world and the devil are designed to entrap us in a nihilistic obsession with satisfying our fleshly desires until we lose all hope of life ever getting better.
Having spent time among people battling drug and alcohol abuse, I know what this looks like.
Once I had a hospital appointment in a urology department. I felt pretty pathetic, sat there clutching a colostomy bag.
But opposite me, on the other side of the waiting room, was a man in a much worse state than me. His skin was palid and yellow, plainly jaundiced from failure of his renal system. He seemed to be weak. His head was down. He raised it up and without even introducing himself, said to me in a pained, rue-filled voice, ‘Son, do yourself a favour: never drink alcohol’.
It was obvious that his drinking habit had gotten completely out of control and had destroyed him from the inside out.
Friends, that is what the devil wants. That is his endgame: for us to be broken and despairing of life and without hope.
That is why Jesus said these precious words:
John 10:10 NIV
[10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
If today you are held captive to temptation and can’t see how you will ever break free, let me share again four things you must know.
Firstly, your temptation. It is not all-powerful. It is not all-consuming. It is not insurmountable. It is small and temporary. God is great and holy and awesome; your temptation is tiny and common and ordinary.
Secondly, your God. He is faithful. He is love. He is Sovereign. He is in control. He will not abandon you.
Thirdly, your salvation. This temptation or test will not last forever. You will break free of it.
Fourthly, your endurance. Don’t forget it. Don’t let go of it. You will outlast your temptation.
You will be victorious.
Maybe you've already succumbed so many times that you don’t see how God would even help you to break free. Let me share these words with you:
2 Timothy 2:11-13 NIV
[11] Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; [12] if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; [13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
Even if your faith falters, God’s faithfulness towards you will not. All you have to do is reach out to Him and He will help you.
Yes, I know there are some addictions that are chemical and need help to renounce. If you are addicted to substances like tobacco or alcohol or drugs or medication, then you absolutely should get the help you need to rid yourself of these domineering addictions.
But you can beat your temptation. You will beat your temptation. You will know your victory.
If you reach out to God and realise that, no matter how giant your temptation appears, God is bigger and greater and stronger.
These truths changed my life. I hope and pray they will change yours too.
And in my next post, we will see how we can Know New Discipline.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for these amazing truths in Your Word. I am done with being a passive victim to temptation. I realise now that I can be victorious over it. Help me and show me how I can find the way out of it. Amen.
Questions
Name the factors that stop us from being victorious over our temptations. Are any of them insurmountable?
How can we know victory over temptation? List the four ways.
What temptations do you struggle with? How can you find a way out of them?
Very helpful, insightful and a great help to everyone struggling child of God!