CE 1 YEAR: 20 Your Protection

Week 20

Your Protection

Nothing happens to you without God’s permission

When you are surprised by painful things, or tempted in a great way, you can feel like you must be unique. It seems like your life is harder than others. But the Bible says every test and temptation in your life is commonly experienced by other people (1 Cor 10:13). The Greek word used here is peirasmos and it means more than temptation, but also tests, trials, and difficulties. In fact, there is little difference between hardships and temptations because trials usually tempt you to sin.

Why do bad things happen to you? As described in Week 8 of this study, the ultimate reason is for you to have the opportunity to privately glorify God like Job. On the New Earth that is coming, nothing bad will ever happen to you for all eternity. But on this Earth, God wants your love and faith in Him to be tested for His glory. So bad things will happen.

But God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted or tested beyond what you can bear (1 Cor 10:13). Every time you are tempted to sin or confronted with a difficult spiritual test, your Dad wants you to know that it has passed His evaluation and approval first. Nothing happens to you without God’s permission. THAT is a lot of control over your life. You do not need to be in control of your life, because God is.

In a world where the Devil hates you, there are many horrible things that could happen. But the most powerful and loving Person in the Universe stands in front of you and all around you to guard your life. Because your Dad is not bound by time, He has essentially stopped everything coming into your life before it happened, evaluated it, and only lets things pass with His permission. EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE IS FILTERED BY GOD.

There are no random events in the Universe. It is not subject to luck or mere chance. God makes a decision about EVERYTHING in His Universe BEFORE it happens. This is why Jesus said that even rather worthless sparrows cannot die without your Father’s permission (Matt 10:29). Likewise, nothing happens to you without your Dad’s permission.

What does God allow to pass through His filter on your life? As in Job’s case, the Devil may ask God permission to do all kinds of nasty things in your life to test and tempt you. But your Dad monitors and evaluates your circumstances and spiritual maturity so that He will not let you be tempted or tested beyond what you can bear (1 Cor 10:13). Why is this? Because He always wants you to be victorious over your tests and temptations!

When Paul was experiencing a difficulty in his life, he said, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ” (2 Cor 2:14). God is always leading you to victory in your life. Victory over sin. Victory over your difficulties in the sense that you can experience the powers of the Spirit (love, joy, peace) no matter what is happening. That is victory! And that gives God glory! Whatever temptation or trial you may experience, you can be certain you can overcome it for God’s glory. This is the only kind of temptation or trial God will allow in your life. The kind that can glorify Him and give you victory.

Your Dad never puts you in a fight with sin that you cannot win. He never allows you to be in a situation that you cannot learn how to trust and obey Him and experience love, joy, and peace in it. This means you NEVER have a good excuse to sin. God has the ability to always set you up to win. God has the power and wisdom to control everything and everyone around you and “fix” and manipulate every “contest” in your life so you can win.

This was demonstrated in David’s life. God allowed a lion and a bear to attack his sheep. God knew David could handle such difficulties. And overcoming them prepared him for his future encounter with Goliath (cf. 1 Sam 17:34-36). God did not bring a Goliath into David’s life before the lion and the bear. God grew David’s faith first. This is because, God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted or tested beyond what you can bear (1 Cor 10:13).

So why does it often FEEL like the tests and temptations in your life ARE beyond what you can bear? Because God does not promise you will be able to IMMEDIATELY overcome every temptation and hardship in life. The promise is really: God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted or tested beyond what you can bear . . . EVENTUALLY.

God allows challenges to reveal weaknesses in your life because He knows you are ready to change. God always leads us in victory (2 Cor 2:14). But conforming you into the character of Jesus not only requires time, but some failure. God’s grace covers your failures. And whatever God allows into your life, He knows you are ready to grow through it and eventually overcome it.

God is always working to change your heart or your circumstances.

God promises that He is faithful and will not let you be tempted or tested beyond what you can bear. But there is a second part to this promise. It also says, “God will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Cor 10:13).

There are two ways God provides “a way out” so you have victory in your tests and temptations. God is always working to change your heart or your circumstances. Your Dad will never leave you in a situation where He is not working in your heart or around you in your circumstances so that you can endure your difficulties and have victory.

Your Dad is often working around you, in your circumstances, to provide a way out of a difficulty or temptation so that you can endure it. God not only controls what trials and temptations are allowed in your life, but He controls their DURATION. He is constantly ending difficulties in your life. He knows that if some tests and temptations lasted longer than He allows, you would not endure it. He told the church in Smyrna: “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days” (Rev 2:10). But no longer, because your Dad is ultimately in control.

If you will think about it for a moment, you will realize that the great majority of your difficulties came and then were gone. You had money troubles, but they changed. You were in a difficult relationship, but it changed. You were sick, but got better. In fact, many of your difficulties only last a few days or less. This is your Dad working around you to change your circumstances.

Unfortunately, some Christians do not take the “way out” of trials and temptations that God has provided for them. This may be because of fear, idolatry, or addiction. For example, when we are tempted by sexual immorality, we can always flee from it (1 Cor 6:18). But we may not because we choose to love the sin more than God.

Likewise, God may provide a way out of an abusive relationship. But because you are afraid and do not choose to trust God, you do not leave. Unfortunately, if you do not take advantage of God’s way out of a temptation or difficulty, then you probably will not be able to endure it.

Some Christians think God wants them to stay in miserable situations. But how much energy, time, and even money can be unnecessarily wasted in such painful and difficult conditions? Your responsibility is to be as wise and free as possible to love, serve, and give to God and others. Therefore, avoid as many unnecessary difficulties in your life as you can.

The Apostle Paul told slaves that if they had the opportunity to be free, they should take it (1 Cor 7:21). God wants you to seriously consider leaving painful or difficult situations if you have the opportunity to do so. But remember, when God creates “a way out” of an unnecessary painful circumstance, He will not have you violate His commands to do it.

Therefore, if God creates “a way out” of an unnecessary painful situation, do it. But God often wants to change your heart instead of your circumstances. And changing your heart is another way God is faithful to provide a way out so that you can endure (1 Cor 10:13). In painful situations it is easy to think the only relief available is to change your situation. But changing your heart can be the most freeing thing of all!

The Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was an example of this (2 Cor 12:7-10). Paul wanted God to heal him and change his circumstances. But God chose to change Paul’s heart. God did this by promising to give Paul whatever grace and power he needed, in spite of his “thorn.” What was the result? Paul was glad about his “thorn”! Likewise, God may want to change your heart instead of your situation.

For example, imagine there is a person in your life that is cruel to you. It may be easy to simply leave or avoid that person. And that may be a wise thing to do. But think for a moment what would happen if you actually FORGAVE that person! And kept forgiving them. What if you loved your “enemy”? (Matt 5:44). Do you know what would happen? You could SMILE at that person when they were mean to you!

THAT is freedom. That is allowing God to change your heart instead of your circumstances. It is another way that God may want to “provide a way out” of a difficult relationship or painful circumstance so that you can endure it, and experiencing love, joy, and peace, and glorifying God!

What about other painful and difficult circumstances that make you feel afraid, stressed out, and even depressed? Again, God may want to change your circumstances. But what if you learned to trust and experience God in your situation? What if you “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7)? Changing your heart will probably significantly reduce the emotional pain of your circumstances.

It is difficult to know what to do in such situations. Should you leave a job because there are people there you do not like? Should you give up on a task because it causes you too much hardship? When does God want you to grow, and when does He want you to give up?

Again, these are not simple questions. But Jesus shared a principle that will be helpful: “First get rid of the log in your own eye. Then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye” (Matt 7:5). Jesus was saying you should not trust your perspective on someone or something until your heart is free from things like anger or fear.

For example, if you leave a relationship with a difficult person in anger, you may not know if that was the right thing to do. Forgiving them will allow you to get rid of the log in your own eye. Then you will see more clearly how God wants you to respond to the difficult person.

Likewise, if fear drives you to change your circumstances, it may hinder you in making the right decision. If you trust God and gain His peace, you will see your situation more accurately and be more able to discern and do what is best.

Practical Application: What is a difficulty happening in your life right now? Is there a relationship or circumstance in which God wants to change your heart? What does He want you to trust Him with?

In your small group meeting this week, share praises and prayer requests and then discuss these questions:

1) What are the meanings of the word “temptation” (peirasmos) in the NT? How are tests and temptations related?

2) What does 1 Corinthians 10:13 say about God’s control over your life?

3) Are you in a difficult relationship or circumstance that God wants you to change? If so, can you trust Him to help you?

4) Why is it important to never make decisions in anger or fear?

5) What was most meaningful to you in this chapter? Why?