Day 5 - Healthy Heart Challenge

​You may have heard many people say, "God says, He will never give you more than you can handle." So why does it seem like the trials or temptations you face ARE more than you can handle? Is God a liar, or are you too mentally weak to realize your potential?

Neither.

The fact is the Bible never actually teaches us that God said, "He would never give you more than you can handle." The confusion comes because well-meaning people take a verse out of context. They hoped to hand you a shovel to move your mountains, but instead, it was a shovel to dig your own grave of failure and deeper discouragement.

The verse they use to make the statement is 1 Corinthians 10:13, but it's taken entirely out of context to use it that way.
Here's what they're missing.

First, let's look at the verse:
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Now let's look at the verse in context with the ones in front of it:
8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ[c] to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Here's a breakdown of what it all means:
8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. (In other words we all have a choice when temptation or trials come.)

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (Those Israelites rejected God's power and ability and tried to do life on their own terms. They even built a calf to worship rather than God. Their example shows us self-dependence leads to self-destruction.)

12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (In other words if you think you're strong enough to stand on your own - be careful or you'll end up like they did.)

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, (God is faithful... to do what? To help if you turn to Him) and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, (Does this mean he won't give you more than you can resist? Look to the next sentence for the answer) but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
He promises to provide a "way of escape" so that we can endure. What is the way of escape? It certainly can't be our own ability or we would have no need to escape in the first place.

The escape promised is the same escape He gave David - refuge and hope in God.
The passage as a whole is telling us to look at how believers were overtaken in the past. They were overtaken because they were self-indulgent, self-focused, and self-reliant which ultimately led them to self-destruction.
Don't do what they did. Rather, when you are being overtaken - turn to God because He is our faithful helper in time of need.

David had a heart that always looked to God for help. Even when he faced Goliath he "came in the name of the Lord."

Learn more about a Healthy Heart with today's reading Psalms 21-25 ​https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+21-25&version=ESV 

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