GOD WILL NOT ALLOW MORE TO BE PUT ON US THAN WE CAN BEAR

PROCLAMATION

“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 10:13 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  Paul began this chapter by recounting the history of their ancestors from the Red Sea to the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:1-6)  He said that those things were recorded and recounted to them as examples of what not to do. (1 Corinthians 10:6)  Then he told them that they would be tempted, but they would not be tempted beyond that which they could bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13)  He spent the remainder of the chapter discussing their freedom to eat meat from animals which had been sacrificed to idols.  He ended by telling them that whatever they eat, drink, or do should be done to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

 

APPLICATION

We have all gone through trials and temptations.  We may be going through some of them right now, but if we are not, then we will definitely go through some trials in the future.  However, The Holy Spirit of The Lord God was, and is, and always will be with us.  He said that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  Being tempted is not a sin.  Jesus was tempted. (Matthew 4:1-11)  We sin when we yield and give in to the temptation.  But we do not have to yield, He will not allow us to be temped beyond that which we can handle.  Sometimes we need to remove ourselves from the places or the people that provide us with the temptation to sin.  Reading and studying The Word of God can help us when we are tempted.  God always provides us with a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13)  We just have to ask Him for His help.

 

THE LORD GOD WILL NOT ALLOW MORE TO BE PUT ON US THAN WE CAN BEAR

Proclamation:

“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 10:13 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  Paul began by recounting the history of their ancestors from the Red Sea to the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:1-6)  He said that those things were recorded and recounted to them as examples of what not to do. (1 Corinthians 10:6 and 10:11)  Then he told them that they would be tempted, but they would not be tempted beyond that which they could bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13)  He spent the remainder of the chapter discussing their freedom to eat meat from animals which had been sacrificed to idols.  He ended by telling them that whatever they eat, drink, or do should be done to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Application:

We have all gone through trials and temptations.  We may be going through some of them right now, but we will definitely go through some of them in the future.  However, The Holy Spirit of The Lord God was, and is, and always will be with us.  He said that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  Being tempted is not a sin.  Jesus was tempted. (Matthew 4:1-11)  We sin when we yield and give in to the temptation.  But we do not have to yield, He will not allow us to be temped beyond that which we can handle.  Sometimes we need to remove ourselves from the places or the people that provide us with the temptation to sin.  Reading and studying The Word of God can help us when we are tempted to sin.  He always provides us with a way out of the temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13)  We just have to ask Him for help.

YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION

Proclamation:

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.  When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me."  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:12-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  James offers statements on wise living and on practical examples of Godly behavior.  Christians are blessed when they exercise Godly behavior when they are confronted with temptation.  They are blessed when they persevere under trials and withstand the tests.  James makes it clear that God is not testing them by tempting them.  Temptation comes from their own sinful nature and desires when in their mind they want to do that which is sinful or which leads to sin.

Application:

We need to understand that the temptation is not a sin, the yielding to the temptation is the sin.  The temptation to sin is a trial, a test that we endure.  God is not tempting us, but through His permissive will, He is allowing the temptation to occur.  The devil does not make us sin, although he is frequently blamed for it.  Our sinful nature causes us to desire to commit sin.  Once we think a sinful thought, we try to rationalize it or justify it before we give in to it.  However, we have a choice and we can choose not to act on our sinful thoughts.  We are blessed when we do not give in to the temptation to sin.  We need to pray regularly and frequently for God's help to withstand temptation and for us not to yield to the temptation to sin.  I truly believe that the more time that we spend reading God’s Holy Word the less time we will spend contemplating and committing sinful behavior.

JESUS UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE GO THROUGH

Proclamation:

“For surely it is not angels He helps, but Abraham’s descendants.  For this reason He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:16-18 (NIV)

Explanation:

The human author of The Bible Book of Hebrews is unknown.  Some Bible scholars attribute it to the Apostle Paul, although the second sentence in chapter two, verse three, seems to preclude this.  However, it was clearly written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The author states that Jesus shared humanity with us so that by His death He could break the power of him who holds the power of death, the devil, and free all who were held in captivity by the fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14-15)  By putting on humanity, Jesus could feel what we feel and deal with the same things that we deal with.  He could help those who were tempted but did not give in to it.  However, because He did not sin when He was tempted, He was able to be the perfect, sin free sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world.

Application:

When we are tempted or suffer, and pray to The Lord for help with our burdens, we know that He understands what we are going through. He will be merciful to us because He loves us and He has been through similar situations.  Jesus, The Son of God, took on human form, put on flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1 and 14)  Jesus endured rejection by family and friends.  He was talked about and lied upon. He had loved ones close to Him to die.  He was tempted and He suffered physically.  He went through what we go through, so He can empathize and not just sympathize with us.  He truly understands.  He can feel our pains.  Jesus is the only one who is truly qualified to have mercy on us and to forgive us of our sinful thoughts, words, and actions.  So, no matter what it is that you are dealing with, pray, take it to Him, He will understand and answer your prayer.  As the old hymn says, "Take you burdens to The Lord and leave it there ... If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out.  Take your burdens to The Lord and leave it there."

Resist Temptation And Stand With God

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  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 stand up under it."  1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Corinth, the Apostle Paul told them that temptation is common to all men and that all of them would be tempted.  Then he told them that God would not let them be tempted beyond that which they could bear.  When they were tempted, God would always provide them with a way out to avoid sin and to do that which was right.

Today, all of us are tempted to sin.  The devil tempted Christ repeatedly, and he will tempt us. (Matthew 4:1-11)  Being tempted is not a sin, it is yielding and giving in to the temptation that is a sin.  The devil tempts us with a host of sins. (Romans 1:20-32 and Romans 2:1-8)  Most of us do not like to think about our sins or the number of times that we give in to temptation.  We sin when we break on of the ten commandments.  We sin when we misuse and abuse our body, which is the temple of The Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19)  We sin, not only by what we do and say, but we also sin by what we think. (Proverbs 23:7 and Matthew 5:28)  In fact the Bible teaches us that all unrighteousness is sin. (1 John 5:17)  All of us are sinners, we just choose to sin differently. (Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23)  We choose to sin, and we can choose not to sin.  When we are tempted, God always provides us with a way to avoid sin.  Submit to The Lord and we can resist temptation, and the devil will flee from us. ( James 4:7)  Reading the Bible when we are tempted to sin will help us stand up to the temptation.  Praying to God and focusing all of our attention on Him when we are tempted will also help us to stand up to temptation.  We all need to ask God to forgive us of our sins, and we need to ask for His help to keep us from yielding to temptation and sin.  Let's yield to sin less, and glorify God more.

We Always Have A Choice

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul tells the Christians at Corinth that God will not allow them to be tempted beyond which they are able to handle.  No matter how great the temptation, God will always provide them with a way out of a tempting situation without giving in or yielding to sin.

The popular translation of this verses is: God will not put more on you than you can bear.  And for every tempting sinful situation, He provides a non-sinful option as a way out.  We always have a choice, we just need to pray for His help in choosing the right way. 

We Will Be Tested

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith; of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire; may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)

After the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Peter told the scattered Christians who were being persecuted by the Romans and the Jewish religious leaders, that for a little while they would have to suffer. However, the suffering, trials, and tribulations were part of a process that would test their faith and make them stronger, better Christians, just as gold is refined and purified by fire.

Today we can be assured that we will have troubles and that they will come in many forms, family, relationships, employment, finances, sickness, and the death of loved ones. We need to know that our troubles are temporary, they will only last for a season. We need to understand that our troubles, trials, and tribulations are only tests of our faith to see if we will persevere or give up. Finally, we need to remember that we will triumph over our troubles if we keep the faith. Jesus has already overcome the world and if we believe we will also overcome. (1 John 5:4) If we keep the faith, we are on our way to hearing, "Well done, good and faithful servant ..." (Matthew 25:23) "We've come this far by faith..." don't give up now.

God Provides Us With A Way Out

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NIV)

After the Apostle Paul had reminded the people about the things that had happened to the children of Israel after they were led out of Egypt and why some of them had to die in the wilderness, he warned them to be careful, least they fall into temptation.

We all will be tempted, but we have to choose not to give in to the temptation. God will not let more be put upon us than we can stand. And He will always provide for us a way out of every situation, but we have to choose to follow His way.

Yield Not To Temptation # 2

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

We all sin. We are all tempted to sin. However, the temptation itself is not the sin, yielding to the temptation is the sin. The temptation is basically a test to see if we will do right or wrong.

God will not allow more to be put in front of us or upon us that we are able to bear. With each temptation He will also provide for us a way out or a way to avoid giving in to it.

Temptation is like a storm. God did not say that there would not be storms in our life but that He would be with us during the storm and guide us safely through the storm to the other side.

No matter what situation we find ourselves in, there will always be a morally correct option available for us to choose that does not involve disobedience to any of God's moral laws. We just have to pray to God for His help and strength to choose to obey His word.