1 Cor 10:13 (NLT), The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

John 14:6 (NLT), Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Most of us have, and prayerfully others will as well, come to a bridge that we must cross. This bridge will take us across a deadly chasm and, eventually, to the other side where His Kingdom resides, His Promise! As we cross this bridge, we will experience problems, challenges, and chaotic moments that will cause us to pull from our faith, as the bridge is tossed back and forth in the crosswinds of life.  The bridge will be rickety at times and have gaps in it that will possibly create opportunities for doubt.  And yet, you will see people on the other side of that bridge, with the knowledge that they too, dealt with the same winds, the same gaps, the same opportunities for doubt, the same issues of life, and yet they made it across the bridge. The Bridge is The Way, but it is up to you to continue. 

Some people will unfortunately be blown off the bridge and perish in the rocks and raging rivers below, allowing the seeds of doubt to take root, allowing the issues of life to take their life; they let go of the rope that was their faith. Their issues blurred them to the truth, His truth, that He is the Way and His Way is strong. It is our job to keep crossing that bridge ourselves while helping others to continue and encouraging others to also take their first step on that bridge, to the Promise! Allow others to borrow your faith if necessary, but not permanently. 

To be blunt for just a second, whatever problem(s) you are dealing with, right now, is nothing special! I know, some problems can feel really harsh, as if it/they are crushing your very life from you. I had been living a very shallow life, thinking that the problems and challenges I was dealing with were something unique to me. That somehow, I needed to create my own solution(s) to get through, or across, whatever it was I was dealing with.  If I am to be honest, I am still challenged with this shallowness from time to time; only now, I recognize it and can apply faith to conquer it.

There are many different kinds of traps people struggle with that span all walks of life. Any type of addiction can be a serious trap. Or how about financial (this is always a good one)? It’s easy to let worries consume your thoughts. That is not God’s will for our life.

1st Corinthians 10:13 gives God’s perspective on all the problems you are facing right now. No matter how overwhelming, suffocating, and insurmountable your issue might seem, it is merely a common human problem that has already been faced and overcome by countless other people and believers in the past.

It is an insidious trick of the devil to plant the false assumptions in your mind that your need is a special case, I myself had fallen victim to this several times. I can also share freely, that If he succeeds in doing this, it will be vastly more difficult for you to overcome your problem, you’ll assume that none of God’s principles apply to your situation because your problem is bigger, unique, and special. And before you know it, you have taken over and are relying on yourself and noone else to help you. And when someone gives you an answer for your situation from God’s word, you’ll just nod and say, “yeah, whatever”. You will agree with what the Bible says, but you will still consider your case to be an exception.

1 Cor 16:13-14 (GNT) “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong.” The NASB translation commands people to “Act like men” and be strong. 

Paul warns us that believers must be alert about competing traditions of worldly wisdom and stand firm. Paul’s command to “Act like men”, is due in large part because faith in Christ will face opposition, where others will try to convince you that God cannot help you, that His Word is nothing but words on paper.

It is imperative that you stop looking at your issue as something that no one else has ever experienced. It is always true that your problem is something that countless others have faced in the past and are facing today. Yes, some of the variables may be different, but the problems are the same.

How you look at the problem will determine how quickly you get out of it! If you look at it like it’s huge, unique, and special, you will have a very hard time getting over it.

“Act like men” is translation from the Greek andrizomai, was a frequent command in the Old Testament and is used to encourage people (i.e., soldiers) to act with courage and strength in obedience to the Lord and with confidence in His power. They must be resolved to remain in their faith with strength and courage. 

Keeping crossing that bridge. Grab the rope and hold on tight. Sometimes, you will have to drop to your knee’s, while this will allow you to sturdy yourself on the bridge, also symbolic to you dropping to your knee’s in prayer to Jesus to give you strength, courage, or whatever you need to continue to cross that bridge. And them stand up and continue across that bridge to His Kingdom. Finish the race across that bridge.

How should you look at your problem? “In the history of mankind, I’m not the first person to face this type of challenge, and I won’t be the last. There are numerous people facing problems far more worse than mine, yet they are able to smile and maintain their joy in the midst of the challenge and end up victorious on the other side! This is just a common problem that many people have conquered before me-and I’m going to be the next to do it!”

When you adopt this attitude, you position yourself to quickly escape the trap your in by reducing the size of your problem in your mind into something manageable and conquerable. God is faithful to make a way of escape for you. He will show you how to get out of any trap you might find yourself in right now. There is a way out, and God has given you his word and his spirit to guide you every step of the way across the bridge, avoiding the rocks below, and keeping you from turning back to your old life.