The Way Out Is A Person
A quiet door opening into light, a simple picture of the way of escape in Jesus.
Devotional Credit: My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, “What Is the Good of Temptation?”
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Temptation is not sin. It is the ordinary weather of human life. Oswald Chambers reminds us that everyone faces it, and that its presence can actually expose where our hearts are leaning. I am grateful for Chambers, because he points us past mere rule keeping to a higher life that God intends for those who belong to Jesus.
When temptation comes, it often offers a shortcut to something that looks good. The promise is quick, the pull is personalized, and the way seems easier than waiting on God. Chambers presses us to set our sights on the highest, on God Himself, not on the nearest good thing. That resonates with the abiding life. Life in Christ is not climbing to a private, elite plane. It is sharing the life of the risen Lord who already placed us in His Body, where the Spirit empowers a new way to live.
Scripture says temptation is common to humanity, and God is faithful to provide the way of escape so we can endure. The you in that promise is plural. We are not isolated heroes trying to prove ourselves. We are members of a people who live by Jesus and with His people. In that shared life, temptation becomes a place to lean into the Lord, not a stage to perform moral gymnastics.
So we do not make peace with “lower” pulls, nor do we panic when they show up. We present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead, we walk by the Spirit, and we discover that the way out is not a trick, it is a Person. Christ in you, and you in Him. Thank you, Oswald, for pointing us to Jesus as the better way, not merely a better rule.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you in every trial. I do not tempt you to evil. When temptation draws near, I provide the way of escape so that you can endure. I joined you to Jesus, and in Him you died to sin’s reign and were raised to new life. Reckon this to be true. Present yourself to Me, not to the desires that once claimed you. Walk by Me, and you will not carry out the cravings of the flesh.
I indwell you, and the life you live is by faith in the Son of God. Set your mind on things above, where your life is hidden with Christ in God. Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you. Take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. Resist the evil one, standing firm, and I will restore and establish you. Come with confidence to the throne of grace. Your High Priest was tempted in every respect yet without sin, and He is your mercy and timely grace.
Guard your heart. Store My word within. Pray, watching, so that you do not enter into temptation. I have given you everything that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called you. My divine power is at work, enabling you to will and to work for His good pleasure. I am able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless with great joy. In this, take courage. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of unlocking your front door with a key. You do not shoulder the door or pry it open. You place the right key in the lock, turn, and the mechanism does the work it was designed to do. When a strong temptation knocks, you are not meant to force the door by yourself. Jesus, by His Spirit, is the living key within you. Yield, turn toward Him, and the way of escape opens because He acts.
Try this today. When a cutting reply or private compromise presents itself, pause and turn the key. Say, Lord, I trust You. Express Your patience and purity through me in this conversation right now. Then step through the opened way, perhaps by slowing your words, choosing silence, or inviting accountability from a friend in the Body. You are not muscling the door. You are trusting the One who opens it.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that in Jesus I am not a prisoner of old cravings. Thank You that Your Spirit lives in me, that the way of escape is always present, and that grace reigns over me in righteousness. I present myself to You as alive from the dead. I set my mind on things above. I trust You to live Your life in me and through me in this moment, and to display the patience, purity, and joy of Jesus in my ordinary choices today. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:13 to 15; Romans 6:11 to 14; Galatians 5:16 to 25; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:1 to 17; Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 6:10 to 18; 1 Peter 5:8 to 10; Hebrews 4:15 to 16; Hebrews 2:18; Matthew 26:41; Proverbs 4:23; Psalm 119:11; 2 Peter 1:3 to 4; Philippians 2:12 to 13; Jude 24; 1 John 4:4; John 15:1 to 11; Romans 8:1 to 13.