Sometimes, when we are in the middle of crisis, we tend to give up everything we have, including faith, just to overcome the crisis. We may justify ourselves for disobeying God. We tend to say, “I can’t hold out any more.” But the Bible teaches that we can endure these sufferings in life. Jesus gives inspiration when He said have courage, we can overcome things. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)
Apostle Paul says, God will not allow you to face a temptation that is beyond your ability to endure. Every temptation will be accompanied by a way of escape so you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) This means we can endure every trial without sinning. If we think we “can’t do” what God said to do, or if we ever justify disobeying God, we have believed the Devil’s lie. What we need to do is to quit looking for excuses and look instead for the way to overcome it.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” God may not remove all the afflictions, but He makes sure we are able to endure them faithfully – all of them. (Psalm 34:19) No temptation or trial can separate us from God. In them all, we are “more than conquerors.” If we endured the temptation without sinning, we would just be “conquerors.” But we are more than conquerors because the problem can actually make us better people. (Romans 8:35-39)
Not only does the Bible promise that we can endure faithfully, it gives us examples of many people who DID so. If they did, we can too. James 5:10,11 – Job and Old Testament prophets are our examples of suffering. Have we suffered as much as Job? Surely not. Yet he remained faithful and so can we. 2 Timothy 1:8 – Paul suffered great hardship for the Lord, and we should share in those sufferings. If he endured without falling away, we can too. He is the example we should imitate (1 Corinthians 11:1). Hebrews 12:1-4 – Jesus (and faithful Old Testament characters) are witnesses to what we can do under trying circumstances. Our temptations are no worse than theirs. All these examples show that God will keep His promises to help His people endure faithfully. (1 Pet. 2:19-23)
