Understand Your Vulnerability

In summary of 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 it says,

“12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 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.”

Bottom line:

Don’t be so naive and self-confident. No one is exempt.  You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else when it comes to temptations.. Forget about being self-confident; it’s useless.  But you can trust God.  He’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you with a way out.

What this means to me:

I really need to be careful and not overly confident as I can fall victim to my vulnerabilities.  I need to remind myself that what I come across is no different than what others have faced over the centuries (it’s not something unique to me.)  So instead of trying to do it all on my own, I can trust God.  He will never let me be tempted beyond the point that I could not overcome it.  In fact if I look to him, he will always provide a way out so that I can endure.  So when I’m tempted, I need to keep my vulnerabilities in mind and work out ways to protect myself.  In this passage God warns me to never to get cocky and overconfident about my ability to handle temptation; if I do, then I have a sure-fire recipe for disaster.  Given the right circumstances, I am capable of any sin. So I must never let down my guard and think i’m beyond temptation: "Don't carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Avoid them." (Proverbs 14:16 TEV)  It is much easier for me to stay out of temptation than to get out of it.   I should always remember his promise,  "And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)