Will God Ever Give Me More Than I Can Handle?

1 Corinthians 10:13

During my online exploration, I stumbled upon a captivating piece authored by a Pastor – an article named ’10 myths Christians believe that aren’t actually true.’ The lure of its title beckoned me to delve into its contents, urging me to read further.

As I perused the text, my head bobbed in affirmation, fully embracing every word I read. However, my unwavering agreement hit an unanticipated halt when I stumbled upon the sixth misconception revered by Christians: the notion that ‘God doesn’t give us more than we can bear.’

I was left dumbfounded, trying to make sense of the Pastor’s words. How could this be? All my years as a follower of Christ were built on the belief that God would never give us more than we can bear; I based my entire faith on that principle!

But upon further Bible study, I really had to ask myself the question:

Will God ever give me more than I can handle?

The verse is about temptation

According to 1 Corinthians 10:13, the Bible clearly states:

“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.”

This text is crystal clear and presents no difficulties in comprehension. It conveys the idea that God will never subject you to any temptation beyond what you can endure, always providing an exit path to avoid succumbing to that temptation.

The true essence of temptation and effective methods to combat it warrant investigation. Temptation, at its core, encompasses the longing to engage in an action, particularly one that is morally or intellectually unsound. An insightful illustration of its origins can be traced back to Jesus’ period spent in the untamed wilderness, where the source of temptation is attributed to the devil.

Human nature, tainted by original sin, leads us to often rebel against God’s will, as stated in Psalms 51:5.. Our inherent inclination towards wrongdoing emerges from the legacy of Adam and Eve’s transgression.

Therefore, we are tempted to follow our base passions and desires, and do as the flesh wants us to do; which is in enmity with God (Romans 8:7).

1 Corinthians 10:13 reassures us with a powerful promise from God. It guarantees that the enemy’s temptation will never exceed our capacity to stand firm and resist.

In other words, every temptation; every chocolate-caramel-melt in-your-mouth brownie that passes your way, you ALREADY have the ability within you to resist. You don’t have to give in to temptation.

And that goes for everyone, no matter how weak you think you are.

Life is already more than we can handle

We should not simply study a single excerpt of the Bible and blindly accept it as a definitive doctrine. However, we must search the scriptures comparing verse to verse and chapter to chapter.

If we take one verse and claim it as truth, then we are susceptible to false doctrine and can be easily led astray.

So, when we read a few verses before 1 Corinthians 10:13, we can observe that Paul was speaking about idolatry. His intention was to dissuade individuals from pursuing worldly desires and succumbing to temptation.

“Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” 1 Corinthians 10:6

In this chapter, the discussion does not revolve around the common trials and tribulations of life. The Bible presents an abundance of instances where God permits the occurrence of truly dreadful events upon His followers. Take, for instance:

According to Job 1:15-16, Job found himself bereft of both his loved ones and his physical well-being.
Genesis 39:20 recounts the unfortunate incident where Joseph found himself being unjustly cast into a prison cell.
Instructed by divine command, Abraham was given the solemn task of offering his own son as a sacrifice. (Genesis 22:2)
In Revelation 1:9, it is revealed that John’s fate led him to be exiled to the island of Patmos.

All of these things that happened to these God-fearing people were not temptations but rather they were tests of faith.

During these struggles, they still decided to trust in God and hold onto their faith. Without their faith, it would have been very difficult to ‘bear’ these circumstances.

Trusting in God in the midst of the struggle

There is an idea that Christianity is supposed to make you happy all of the time. However, the reality is that the joy of the Lord does not stem from perpetually happy moments in our earthly existence. Instead, the profound joy rooted in Christ emerges from the assurance that He has redeemed us from the clutches of sin and eternal damnation.

It is firmly acknowledged that our earthly existence is but a temporary sojourn, for our true abode, lies in the realm of heaven. With this realization, it becomes imperative to comprehend that our present life serves as a crucible for testing and refining. We live in a world where sin is rampant. God uses trials and struggles to grow our faith.

So does God ever give us more than we can handle or bear? I believe the answer is both yes and no. God will not allow any temptation to come our way that we don’t have the ability to resist. Fact.

But God will allow struggle and challenges that may seem overwhelming and they will seem more than we can bear. Through these periods of overburden, God wants us to turn to Him for help. He says in Matthew 11:29-30

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The enemy tempts us into believing that God is a liar because the situation you may be facing may be more than you can bear.

You may get discouraged thinking that God doesn’t care. But God never said that life would be easy but He always promises to help us and bear our burdens for us.

Throughout challenging situations God wants us to lean on Him for support. He is our shield and the lifter up of our heads (Psalms 3:3). Turn all your cares over to Him.

“My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:12

Prayer for Today:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I feel really overburdened. This situation is more than I can handle. I am pleading with you OH LORD to help me. Help me to trust you even when things look bad. I am holding onto your promises. I cast all of my cares upon you.

Amen.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article today. If you have a question, query or story you’d like to share with me, please leave a comment or email me using the form below.