You're Not Alone

It's a lie to believe that you're the only one going through something. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man" (NKJV). The New Living Translations puts it "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience."

Just let that sink in. We think our struggles are so unique and that no one could possibly understand what we're going through. They aren't. And they do.

See isolation is the enemy's tactic. If he can get you alone you become an easy target, or at least you're no longer threat to his cause. Lions when they are hunting will wait for the wounded and weak to separate from the pack before they strike. It's not in our design to be alone. God pretty much flat out said it from the get-go "It is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

Even statistically there is a high chance that the people you're around every day are dealing with something similar. I started to look up some of these statistics out of curiosity but had to stop because it was actually quite the downer. It's crazy how common these things are.

In the US: 

• 1 in 12 adults suffer from alcohol abuse 
• 1 in 10 suffer from depression 
• 1 in 10 college-age women suffer from a clinical eating disorder 
• 1 in 2 children will witness the divorce of their parents 
• 6 in 10 Christian males regularly view pornography 

It is easy to keep your problems to yourself isn't it? It's hard to let someone know, like really know, what you're dealing with. That's because shame is a powerful force to reckon with. In fact, it's been at work ever since the very first sin. What did Adam and Eve do as soon as they had eaten the fruit from the Tree of Life? They suddenly realized they were naked and hid. It's one thing to know you've done something wrong and be embarrassed about it but it's another to let shame creep in. Embarrassment says "I did something wrong" but shame says "I am something wrong". That's the danger with shame. It starts to take over who you are and shape your identity around a lie.

1 Corinthians 10:13 actually has a bit more to it that I didn't mention earlier. Here's the full 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."

God is faithful and will make a way of escape. You have an out. When you're falling into the trap, look for help.

I apologize in advance here for my nerdiness but it's like that scene on Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope when Luke, Han, Chewbacca and Leia are stuck in the trash compactor. Luke is being attacked and drug under all the garbage by a tentacled creature called a dianoga and, to make matters worse, the walls start closing in. Luke calls out to C-3PO for help and just before they are crushed R2-D2 turns the compactor off and opens the door.

When you are facing an impossible task call out to the person who eats the impossible for breakfast. He is faithful to make a way of escape.

For some of us, the escape isn't hard to find. There's bright red neon EXIT sign in plain view but it's like each time you walk through that exit you end up back in the very same room, like some kind of sick cosmic joke. As such, we've grown accustomed to our dark room. Psalm 18:19 says "He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me." Grab a hold of that truth and you try the exit again.

There is no temptation that is too great for our Lord to overcome. In fact, did you know that he already did? The bible says that Jesus endured every temptation we've had to face and was able to overcome.. Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." He's proven he can handle it. He's gotten into the ring and earned the championship belt. Tag in the reigning champ on the fights we can't handle and stick to the ones we can.