Overcoming Temptation

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 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.
1 Corinthians 10:11-13

Notes

Before diving into a well-loved verse about temptation and God’s faithfulness, we should review earlier verses in 1 Corinthians 10. The book shares examples of when people faltered and did not trust God. The focus is on steering believers away from past mistakes and sharing what to do when trials occur. The stronger believer does not avoid being tested. It is what they do when they are tested (tempted) that determines their faithfulness.

No one goes through life without suffering or experiencing trials. No one can say why one person appears to suffer more than others. But those who suffer and recognize the eternal matters of God find overflowing joy beyond those trials. Whether it is loss, pain or fear, when we overcome what has tempted us to give up, to give in, enter denial or fall into despair, we are not showing our strength, but the strength and mercy of God who is beside us and our trust in Him.

God does not want us to make the same historical mistakes. It is good to look back, to recognize what has been gained, what has been lost and what should survive. It is both foolish and unwanted by God for us to return to the past. Like Joshua, we are called to be strong and courageous as we venture into a new era. We are guided by the precepts of scripture and warned against the failings of our ancestors.

If we let the Holy Spirit take up residence in our soul we are presented with a new way to live. We are no longer held captive by old ideas or temporal matters. Instead, we recognize the grace of God, desire to be transformed and do not fear. We all suffer trials. Trials of faith, trials of the heart, trials of family, friends, community. The lack of trials is not sainthood, but rather complacency. But if we desire to truly be transformed and to be the living sacrifice we called for in Romans 12 then we should not run from trials but boldly step into them, trust in God and build the capacity of our faith.