Beware of Overconfidence!

“If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” 
– 1 Corinthians 10:12

When God freed the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, they should have had it made. Right? In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul begins by naming some of the most amazing benefits and blessings that the children of Israel were given.

 

ALL the Israelites who were delivered out of bondage were able to walk across the Red Sea on dry land. ALL the Israelites “ate the same spiritual food” and “drank the same spiritual drink” (vs.3-4). Every day except for Saturday, they walked outside and found bread from heaven in the morning and quail in the evening. And on at least two occasions, God gave ALL the Israelites fresh drinking water from a rock.

 

“Nevertheless,” Paul writes, “God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness” (v. 5). The Israelites fell into the sins of idolatry, sexual immorality, grumbling against God and testing the boundaries of His patience. These sins disqualified them for the prize of entering the Promised Land.

 

And if you think you’re any better, think again. In verse 12, Paul gives us this powerful warning about overconfidence in our Christian walk: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.”

 

We must use wisdom and discernment whenever we exercise our rights and freedoms in Christ.

Ask yourself: Will doing this bring glory and praise to God? Will doing this set a good example for other Christians, building them up in love? Will doing this help draw unbelievers unto Christ or push them further away? And finally: Will doing this tempt you to sin and risk disqualifying yourself from your heavenly reward?

 

With that in mind, take note of these 3 beautiful truths about temptation in verse 13:

 

Truth #1: Your temptations aren’t unique to you. Many Christians (past and present) have experienced the same things. The devil loves to whisper in your ear: “No one understands what you’re going through. No one can help you.” Remember: The devil is a liar. Many believers have been through the exact kinds of temptations you’re going through and have overcome them.

 

Truth #2: Because God is faithful to His promise to never leave you nor forsake you, He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. God never sets you up for failure. If you think your trials and temptations are tough, you should see the trials and temptations that God has shielded you from.

 

Truth #3: When you’re tempted, God will always provide a way of escape. Whenever you are undergoing a trial or a temptation, God ALWAYS provides a way out so that you can stand up under it. And, most often, the way of escape is to NOT walk on the edge of the cliff in the first place. As we walk in freedom, we should never flirt with sin like the Israelites did. “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.”

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person or online at 8:45 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.