On Temptation

It's a well known verse: "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 Cor 10:13). But I'm amazed at how often it is misapplied. This verse is talking about how He helps us handle the temptations that come at us, not at the events that cause the temptations.

The events that happen in this life are many: financial ups and downs, deaths, betrayals, physical disasters, and on and on and on. The temptations are also frequent. A temptation is that thought we have that makes us want to to abandon our reliance on God - it is when we are being lured away from God. Everyone has those thoughts - they are common to man. The question is what do we do with them when they come? Do we allow them to draw us away from God?

When we are faced with difficult events, we are tempted to respond as most people do - with anger, fear, or even a sense that God has abandoned us or even that God is testing us or trying to teach us something and until we can learn it the bad things will continue to happen.

God's 'way out' is not to stop the events that are behind the temptations. He doesn't always make the bad stuff go away. His 'way out' is that He is there and will walk with us through the events. It isn't about the events at all. It's about our response to everything that comes our way. It is our continued reliance on God.