1 Corinthians 10:13 says:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faitful, 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.
That is a great promise, but is it true without any qualifiers? Look at Alma 13:28:
"...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear..."
What do you think?
We discussed this as a family. I think the key is that God makes a way to escape from temptation. But if we refuse to escape, if we flirt with temptation and invite it to stay, it gains more power over us and eventually does become more than we can bear. We all know those who have given in to temptation enough times that it gains such power over them that even with great effort and with the support of family and friends they are still unable to fully escape.
ReplyDeleteI like that thought. God does not let our actions or inactions determine what He does, so we can always know that He gives us a way to escape, even if we have failed to "watch and pray continually." But, as you said, it is our response to Him that determines whether or not the temptation will become more than we can bear. That sounds right.
DeleteAlso, there are temptations in the form of addictions that may in a very short time, or even in one time of giving in, put us in a position of being overpowered to the extent that it is impossible for us to overcome the temptation on our own. Through his prophets and in the scriptures the Lord warns us explicitly about these temptations, knowing how difficult escaping them will be.