Temptation

1Cr 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.

I find it interesting how often I think that a sin/temptation that I'm struggling with is something I'm alone in. The enemy spends so much time trying to get us to think we're alone.... alone in the world, alone in our sin, alone in our confusion/anger/sadness... etc.

When we're alone it is hard to stand. It's so easy for me to get pulled down when I'm trying to stand by myself. I pull inward, I get depressed, I get anxious... and I get exhausted. I try to fight alone, and find that I am soon sucked of my strength... and it makes giving into the temptation so much easier.

When temptations come along, and they seem so intense and crazy... am i really able to believe that God is faithful in not letting me be tempted beyond what I can bare? Paul doesn't say God will remove the temptation.... in fact Paul says 'WHEN you are tempted.' Sin crushes us. It pushes us further down into the muck, and takes our eyes off of God. Paul says that God will give us a way out of the temptation so we can stand up under it.

Some temptations seem so much past what i can deal with... maybe not when it's just one at a time, but sometimes it feels like I'm just getting a barrage of temptations thrown at me and i can't stand up under it at all. So what am i missing? Am i getting so distracted by the temptations that i don't see God standing right in front of me pointing to the way out? Is there a gigantic door right in front of my face that i am failing to see?