1 Corinthians 10:12,13 NIV
Perhaps for you these verses have been a source of comfort. For me they've been a source of confusion. I remember clearly my Mother explaining to me as a child that I would never be tempted more than I could bear, that God would always provide a way out, that I never had to sin...and I believed her. I lived my life embracing this promise until one day I encountered sins I could not overcome. It did not take me long to realize that I was not in control. The more I tried to overcome these flaws the worse I became. In fact, I picked up new problems along the way. I began to feel as though I had no choice but, to indulge in sin. I questioned why God would require of me something he knew I could not do. It seemed as though God himself was sabotaging every attempt I made to do right. I was desperate to please God and yet that was not enough. Certainly, it could not be true that God would not tempt me beyond what I could bear, for this was too much. Where was my way out? How was God fair?
For some time I continued a cycle of stopping and falling again and I didn't experience lasting freedom until I surrendered every aspect of my life the best I could. I had to quit worrying about how God's way would measure up to mine. I let God take the responsibility of molding me and I stopped getting in his way. I allowed God to lead me wherever he would take me no matter the outcome.
Being the faithful God he is, God allowed me to experience pain that gave light to the state of my heart and my inevitable destruction so that I would choose a better way...his way. Christ knew that I would struggle and found enough value in me to provide a way out long before I knew I needed one. He was pursuing me even at the cross. He died with me in mind (Romans 5:6). I see now that my problem laid in my lack of trust that God's way is fulfilling. My struggle was only a symptom of this.
Whether we realize it or not our sin only describes the state of our hearts. We all are in desperate need of heart surgery yet any attempt to do the operation on our own only makes matters worse. "The Christian's security against sin is distrust of himself". Get out of God's way.
- Sydney Henry
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