Key Verse:
1 Cor 10:13
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. NKJV
1 Cor 1:8
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Blameless ἀνέγκλητος anegklētos: Unaccusable, irreproachable, free from any charge.
Keep you strong βεβαιόω bebaioō: To make firm and reliable, make sure, establish, stabilize, strengthen.
Heb 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hinder ὄγκος ogkos: mass, load, weight, encumbrance.
Entangles εὐπερίστατος euperistatos: Complete skillfully easily surround, encompass, besetting, impede with peril and calamities.
2 Tim 2:26
… taken them captive to do his will.
See how we can be free from the trap and slavery of sin’s power that entangles and hinders our progress. No matter how strong or how long the stronghold may be, God can empower you to overcome and provide a way out of the strongholds in our lives.
What is the difference between being sinless and being free from the bondages and power of sin?
1. Watch out for subtle
of temptation
1 Cor 10:13
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. NKJV
Songs 2:15
Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.
Discouragement
Exo 6:9
Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Thomas Edison
Pressures and
Heb 6:10
God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other Christians. GN
Weariness and feelings of
Exo 17:1
The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
Exo 17:8
The Amalekites came and attacked the people at Rephidim.
Gal 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. NIV
Idleness – being
free
2 Sam 11:1
1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole army. But David remained in Jerusalem.
Doubting your
Luke 4:1-3
3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Luke 3:22
… the Holy Spirit descended … like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” NKJV
Your failures do not
who you are
Jer 31:4
I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
God’s plan for your life is not jeopardized by your bad choices, He has a way of getting you back, He has comebacks for every setbacks.
Q. Why is discouragement such a subtle channel of temptation?
Q. What we feel unfairly treated, while it’s easy to get upset, what can we focus on instead?
Q. When we walk in His way, we may still have feelings of dryness. Why does the enemy put in this feeling of dryness?
Q. How can the subtle temptation of idleness be avoided?
Q. Why did the enemy subtly remove the word ‘beloved’ in Luke 4:3?
Q. What are examples of “little foxes” (Songs 2;15) or subtle temptations that might hinder or entangle us in sin?
2. God has provided a way out
1 Cor 10:13
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. NKJV
Escape ἔκβασις ekbasis out go: to go out, a way out.
Flee from giving any foothold or place
Eph 4:26-27
In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.
Foothold τόπος topos: Place, room, license, space, opportunity.
1 Cor 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. NIV
2 Tim 2:22
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. NKJV
Gen 39:9-11
Phil 3:3
For (we) … put no confidence in the flesh. NIV
Prov 12:26
A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. NIV
Let Him
you to overcome
Mark 5:1-5
1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.
Mark 2:17
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
- Deep worship songs
- Voice of the Scriptures
- Rhema HC
Dwell on His
and His
Psa 119:9
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
Focus on His promises, not your promises:
Jesus is not asking you to make a promise that you can’t keep.
He is asking you to receive the promise that only He can keep. When you fail, look at His promises.
Luke 22:32
But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” NKJV
Q. What are the places that expose you to temptation that God is warning you to flee from?
Q. What do you do when you feel you don’t have the drive or power to flee?
Q. Why is it important to not rely on our self-effort to make promises?
Q. When we feel dirty in sin or fall back into temptation, we can still go back to God. Discuss how God’s grace and compassion help us overcome the feeling of shame or guilt.
Challenge of the Week
1. Memorize
1 Cor 10:13
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. NKJV
2. What are the subtle channels of temptations that are setting in your life?
What is the way of escape that God is making in your life?
3. How can you be empowered to flee from any foothold of sins? How are you applying it this week?
4. What are 3 promises from the Word that God is leading you to dwell on this week?
Unless otherwise stated, the Bible verses are in the NIV
©️ 2023 J. Yee. Reproduction permitted for non-commercial purposes but please write in request to joshua@oasisofcare.org. Quotes are taken from various sources such as ESV Study Bible, Kenneth Baker (NIV Study Bible), John Walvoord (Bible Knowledge Commentary), John Kolenberger (Expositor’s), Vernon Falls, Rick Warren, Joseph Prince, Joel Osteen, and others.
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