1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “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 is a verse of great consolation to those who are going through trials or temptations. May we all become familiar with this verse so that when times of great trials take us, we might be comforted and encouraged by its truth.

“No one knows how I feel.” “Nobody has ever gone through what I’m going through right now!” “You don’t know what it’s like to be tempted like this!” Have you ever felt like or said any of these things? I think most of us, at one time or another, feel like we are going through something that has never been experienced before. But, that is just not true. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and THERE IS NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN.” It is normal to feel isolated in our sufferings or trials, but we are assured that we will not have to endure anything that is not common to the human experience.

In the midst of our trials, we are reminded of the faithfulness of our Lord. We read in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” Along with that, let’s read 2 Peter 2:9, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” We’re again reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall STABLISH YOU, and KEEP YOU from evil.” Because of His faithfulness, the Lord will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to handle. I say that, realizing it is when we rely upon His power and guidance that we are able to overcome all trials that come upon us. Without Him, we are powerless! The Lord know our ‘load limit’. He knows what we can handle. Because He is in absolute control of all situations, He will not allow a trial to come upon us that we are not equipped for. This shows us that if someone falls into temptation and gives in to it, it is not because the Lord did not give him the strength to overcome. It means that the Lord’s guidance and strength were ignored.

Notice that the Lord does not remove the temptation, but He makes a way of escape for us. Trials, or temptations, can be used of the Lord to strengthen us, guide us, prepare us for future service, or draw us closer to Himself. We NEED trials in our lives! We read in James 1:2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” There are so many life lessons that come to us through the trials that we face.

No temptation to sin is ever from the Lord. James 1:13 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” Trials to strengthen our faith come from the Lord. Trials to sin come from Satan. If you are being tempted to sin, if you are tempted to lust, if you are being tempted to stray from the Lord, these are not from the Lord, they are from Satan. We need to be on our knees before the Lord for His strength and wisdom to overcome the temptations of Satan. Remember that Christ is in you and “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)  (231.10)