Temptation Fighter || 1 Corinthians 10:13 || Manna for the Mind #5

Welcome to Day 5 of my “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series takes a passage of scripture (typically 1-3 verses) and builds its understanding through its context and connecting scripture. Doing this helps us understand what the Bible truly teaches us.

1 Corinthians 10:13

13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

How many times have you heard this scripture? Probably a lot. How often have you heard it misquoted to: “God won’t give you more than you can handle?” More times than you care to admit. People sometimes share the misquote to attempt to uplift someone struggling through life. Yet, it tends to lead to more frustration than anything else. It makes people question why a God of love would send so much strife to his children.

Let’s talk about a more literal understanding of this passage and try to change the narrative to reflect what this is saying.

Paul says here that:

Everyone faces temptation.
Others have resisted temptation.
Any temptation can be resisted because God will show you how to resist it.

Let’s define a temptation in Paul’s context to see what we’re working with. Temptation is the Greek word peirasmos (pi-ras-mos’), which means an experiment, trial, or temptation. This is the same word that Jesus, and we use in the Lord’s Prayer. It comes from peirazó (pi-rad’-zo), which means to make proof of, attempt, test, and tempt. This is used in the story of Jesus’ temptations in Matthew 4. Both words come from the root word peira (pi’-rah), a trial or experiment.

Interestingly, any of these words can be used positively or negatively. A test is the positive, and a temptation is the negative. It all just depends on the context.

Everyone will face some test or temptation in their life, which should bring us comfort. It’s a reminder to us that we’re not alone. We experience what someone else has experienced, and vice versa. This doesn’t mean that it happens in the same way. It would be rare and almost impossible for someone to experience the same situation. According to an Iowa Capital Dispatch article (link at the end of the page), some of the most common temptations in life are:

Overeating – 1.25% of adult women, 0.42% of adult men, 1.6% of teens aged 13-18, according to the NIH
Overspending – 83-84% of Americans with a monthly budget, according to NerdWallet
Venting on social media – 61% of 500 in an Indian research study, according to India Times.
Gossiping – 14% of 467 people in an Indian research study, according to India Times
Jealousy – 31% of Americans, according to yougov.com
Viewing porn – 58% of young adults, according to a study by Ballard Brief
Lying or cheating (in relationships) – 12-72% of men and 7-54% of women, according to an article by Psychology Today.
Abusing alcohol. – 12.1% of males age 12+; 9.1% of females ages 12+, according to an article from the NIH.

Now, I know I threw a lot of data and statistics out there, and it may be hard to misinterpret, so let me re-share them with you this way:

Overeating – 2.112 million women and 2.074 million men based on US demographic statistics.
Overspending – 277.975 million Americans, based on US demographic statistics.
Venting on social media – 184.434 million Americans, based on US social media statistics.
Gossiping – 46.887 million Americans, based on US demographic statistics.
Jealousy – 103.822 million Americans, based on US demographic statistics.
Viewing porn – 17.748 million young adults, based on US demographic statistics.
Lying or cheating (in relationships) – 19.906 to 119.434 million men and 6.635 to 89.575 million women, based on US demographic statistics.
Abusing alcohol – 21.643 million men and 16.564 million women, based on US demographic statistics.

What is the point of sharing all these numbers? To prove statistically that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Regardless of what your emotions say, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Regardless of what society says, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Regardless of what your social circle says, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

People have both resisted these temptations and have overcome them. There are plenty of rabbit holes I could jump down with this, talking about specific examples and statistics. Still, there are not enough clear data sets I can pull from, nor are there consistent strategies to share about these things because everyone likes to share their opinion. I want you to walk away with the fact that you have the power, strength, confidence, and courage to overcome and resist what you’re fighting; you must prioritize it. God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit to help us fight the spiritual battles we encounter regularly.

God will show us the people and situations that give us trouble. If it’s overspending, it can be recognizing how much you go out with friends or how easy it is to pay for your latest Amazon order. If it’s viewing porn, it can mean recognizing your thought patterns when you see a picture of someone in a bathing suit or the thoughts during the boredom of the night that leads to incognito mode. Recognizing where the temptation starts is the best place to start. If you can name it, you can claim it. It’s more than just recognizing it and avoiding it, though. It can be more complicated. Why? Because we never 100% avoid the temptation. The temptation will always exist and often sneaks up on us without warning. Recognition aims to acknowledge that the battle is happening and launch the game plan to fight it.

If you see something that’s tempting you, run away. “Marc! Doesn’t that contradict what you just said?” Yes, but no. Remember that I said it’s not ALWAYS that simple. Always being the operative word. When you see a donut in the box in the break room, you know you need to eat healthier. The best response is to walk away. When you see friends gossiping and badmouthing another and acknowledge the feeling of it being wrong. You can walk away. There may be better responses than this because you should stop the conversation, but that detracts from my point. If you’re watching a movie and a sex/lustful scene comes on, you can get up and leave the room until that scene has passed. If you feel something wrong, the best thing you can do is walk away. You’re getting that feeling for a reason, and the Spirit’s nudge is all you need.

Choose what is right. What is right may not always feel right. What is right may be different from what the world considers proper. We’re not to follow the world, though. Jesus did many things that were right in God’s eyes but wrong in the eyes of the Pharisees. The goal is to live and love like Jesus did, regardless of the world’s thoughts. This section makes me think about when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Satan gave him three ways to have earthly riches and success, even using God’s word to entice Jesus. Jesus never gave in, though. Jesus quoted scripture right back. Let’s keep God’s word close to us and repel our temptations.

Prayer is always an excellent place to go, too. Taking that moment to pause and talk to God. “God, I’m struggling. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. The temptation feels strong right now, but I know you’re stronger. Give me the strength, wisdom, courage, and confidence to fight this.” The Holy Spirit is within us, ready to fight if we let it. Seek friends or church leaders who love God and can help you in those moments, too! God will put people in your path when you need it the most, and a strong community of warriors overcomes any spiritual battle you fight.

I will close this message with a piece of scripture as our prayer. It’s a reminder that God will always overcome any temptation we face. God will give us the power of discernment to recognize our source of temptation, the strength to run, the courage to do what’s right, communicate when we need help, and be surrounded by loved ones.