More than we can bear?!?

1 Corinthians 10:13  (NIV)  No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.   

1 Corinthians 10:13 (HCSB) No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)  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. 

1 Corinthians 10:13 (MSG) No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face.  All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He'll never let you be pushed past your limit; He'll always be there to help you come through it. 

"God won't allow anything more than what you can bear."  I hear this all of the time and it bothers me greatly because it just isn't true!!!  The Bible does not say that.  The verse that it is taken from
1 Corinthians 10:13 in context is referring to idolatry and sin.  This verse and passage is saying that sin is common to all of us and that nothing will tempt us that hasn't already tempted someone else; however God is always there with us as believers.  He promises to provide a way out from under the temptation, a way of escape, a way out so that we can endure and not fall INTO SIN.  This promise has nothing to do with not having to face trials in our lives that won't break us or cause us to question and wonder at times if we will survive!!!

We have probably all said it at one time or another "Oh, God won't give you more than you can handle.  It will be okay just trust God, He won't let you deal with more than you can bear."  I am hear to tell you this is wrong and not biblical at all.

I have personally been to the point of not being able to handle "life" and all that it entails several times, even to the point of death and I know that I know that God was there with me at all times and yet He definitely allowed to me to face more than I could bear - because the fact is having to face more than I can manage helped me to realize that life is all about Him, that He is able and sufficient to handle anything - Not me!  Not ever me!!  There are times in all of our lives - in a variety of ways - that God allows things or we face things because we live in a fallen and sinful world and these are the times that we can see God most clearly.  Not on the mountain top, but in the valley, the pit or in my case - under the pit ;)

Look at Job.  He lost every single thing he had in this world besides his wife (Job 1).  He called on God.  He trusted God.  But he struggled.  He hurt in every way, emotionally, physically, mentally.  He did not passively say "Oh well, I know God won't allow more than I can bear!"  God did allow more than he could bear - from a human standpoint he was devastated - he would never be the same!  He lost all of his children!! He lost all he had!  And yet he knew that most important was that he belonged to God.  He mourned, he lamented.  He didn't pretend he was fine and that is wasn't a big deal!  It was a huge deal!! He was human, it hurt like crazy!!  And it was more than he could bear but he knew it was not more than his God could bear.  He trusted God.

Do you think David enjoyed being hunted down by someone he thought loved him as a son (1 Samuel 15...)?  Do you think it was no big deal for Hannah to be barren (1 Samuel 8...)?  Do you think it was fun for Elijah to be chased down by an evil woman with such power (1 King 19...)?  What about Paul?  Do you think being in jail, stoned, etc. didn't bother him?  Or Peter? On and on I could go.

Honestly, we all forget that those in the Bible were real people facing real emotions.  Look at their stories and realize that the common denominator is that they suffered, they struggled and yet they knew their God was bigger - not their ability to bear up under the hurts, but His ability to see them through.  It is wrong of us to say to that parent who lost their child - God won't give you any more than you can handle.  Or the one facing the cancer diagnosis... on and on.  Romans 12:15 says, "...weep with those who weep."  We are to give one another the freedom to grieve.  Our job is to point them to the fact that they are never alone, no matter how they feel.  The Holy Spirit lives inside of us - He never ever leaves!!

So let's remember that when we are tempted to sin that this is not the same as dealing with hurt and loss or a life event that may overwhelm us.  The fact is that there will be many life events - good and bad that overwhelm us and God will use them to remind us that we are not alone.  That He has a plan and a purpose for us and He is at work.  We will still be tempted sin in the midst of the hurt because we are human but we can know that God never leaves us and trust that He is at work drawing us to Himself and making us more like Him even in the unexplainable.  We are here to bring Him glory and point others to Him.  We will hurt, we will face loss, we will even be broken beyond what we can bear at times - but never alone, never abandoned by Him.  He will see you through even when you do not see how He possibly could, or even if you doubt that He will.  He can take your honesty - go to Him!!  To come to the end of ourselves is the goal!!  To rely fully on God!!!

Psalm 51:17 "a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise." (Matthew 5:3; Luke 18:14).  Brokenness before the Lord is beautiful and something He can work with.  To humble ourselves before God is what He has called us to.  To recognize that we can do nothing on our own.

Father God, I know I have jumped on my soap box today.  Please, Lord, use Your Words to encourage us.  Help us to not fall into the trap of the enemy that nothing too hard will happen to us if we walk with the Lord.  It just isn't true.  Suffering happens.  Life is hard even in the midst of good things.  In our pride we often think we are in control and to suffer or fall is a reminder that we are weak, but Your grace is sufficient and You remind us that You are with us at all times.  You are at work to bring about good for those that love You and are called according to Your purpose.  Help us as we forget that the ultimate good for us is our arrival in heaven.  The ultimate healing.  The freedom from hurts will be in heaven in Your Presence for all eternity.  This life is not heaven.  This world is not our home.  Forgive us for living as if it is and not having the urgency to tell others of the good news of the gospel of Christ.  That Jesus alone is the answer - we have no other answer!!  Thank You for Your forgiveness and Your unfailing love for us.  May we love others with Your love and may we say less and love more.  

Authenticity with Jesus and Others

I have read a few interesting books lately.  One is entitled “No More Faking Fine” by Esther Fleece.  I found this book after a friend sent me a YouTube video of an interview in which Esther Fleece talks about her book.  I highly recommend it – it is 45 minutes that is well worth the time.  Anyway, after watching the interview multiple times and sharing it with many different people I felt the Lord leading me to purchase the book.  It was excellent and very impactful, just as the video was.  Would you consider watching it?  

This book is about lamenting or about recognizing and admitting that we as believers hurt.  “Lament is simply expressing honest emotions to God when life is not going as planned.”  God wants our sad.  He is not distressed by our emotions of sadness – we need only look to David, or Jeremiah or Hannah or Jesus Himself…. For some reason though in the church and as believers we have conditioned ourselves or been tricked by the enemy that to share authentically and vulnerably is a bad thing or at the very least is an inconvenience.  This is so wrong.  I believe that God intends to break us of our pride and our self-sufficiency by using these hurts we experience to enable us to see that He is the only one who is able to meet our every need.  Then we are able to share the hope we find in Jesus with others in a way that meets them where they are because it is real – it is ours and it becomes theirs.  Jesus is our only hope!!

At one point in the book, Esther Fleece makes a few statements that the Lord has used to impact me profoundly.  “The only way to process the loss of the life we had hoped for is to lament.  And one of the kindest things we can do for each other is to offer a safe space where we don’t have to do it alone.  The ministry of presence is one of the greatest gifts we have to offer each other, especially in the midst of heartache.” (p. 188).  This is it!! God has called me to the ministry of presence.  He has been showing me this for many years.  It is crucial that we come alongside one another and live life beyond the surface.  The enemy of our soul tries to keep up from facing life head on with Jesus by convincing us to put on a mask or pretend that all is well when that is not the case.  We all struggle and admitting that is a great beginning or connecting point in sharing Jesus with a lost and dying world!!

Consider Psalm 13. 

1)   LORD, how long will You forget me?  Forever?  How long will You hide Your face from me?

2)   How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day?  How long will my enemy dominate me?

3)   Consider me and answer, LORD my God.  Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise I will sleep in death.

4)   My enemy will say, ‘I have triumphed over him,’ and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5)   But have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.

6)   I will sing to the LORD because He had treated me generously. 

Do you see how David took his “lament” to God?  How he shared fully his hurts, his fears, his doubts and then his hopes and ultimately turned to praising God?  This is a phenomenon only our Lord can do for us!  To go to Him honestly and without restraint is a gift He has given us! (Hebrews 4:16)  And in turn He restores us, our trust, our awareness that He is mighty, that He is in control and no matter what things look like around us or what is done to us – He loves us and He holds us in His mighty hand!!  (Jeremiah 30:17; Psalm 51:12; Isaiah 57:18; 1 Peter 5:10; John 10:29).  It is an ongoing process, a journey.  I want to do this journey His way and not my own. 

Father God, I thank You that though this journey can be awfully hard the fact is that when we belong to You we never walk alone.  Thank You for Your provision at all times and in all ways – regardless of what we see or don’t see.  Thank You that we can bring it all to You without fear and know that You are at work.  Help us Lord to be willing to do the hard things of facing our hurts – those we experience and those we cause – both for ourselves and alongside the others that You put in our path.  We all hurt, Lord, this is just a fact (John 16:33), but please allow us to surrender to You so that You may use our hurts to point others to the hope that we have in You, Jesus.  Help us not to get stuck in our hurts, but to lament and process them so that You may use them for Your glory in Your time and in Your way.  In Jesus Name, Amen.