Three Generous Promises

The three generous promises I am talking about here does not have anything to do with rainbows or arks. Nope! I am talking about the kind of promises that make you sit up, take notice. The kind that can have a massive impact on your life, if you let it fully sink in. The kind that completely changed my way of thinking!

Unexpected Revelations

I came to bed early as I know there is a tremendous amount of work ahead of me tomorrow. I’m also starting a new health plan that will help me learn to eat healthily, take care of my temple, and lose weight. So it is a pretty big day tomorrow.

When I came to bed, I had this overwhelming urge to read the bible. So I laid in bed, opened my Bible. The first verse I came to was James 1:1. And by verse 2, God was starting to speak to my heart.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall in with manifold temptation; knowing that the proving of your faith establishes patience. And let your patience have a perfect work; that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. – James 1: 2-4

Then I read the footnotes in my bible.

“Temptations rightly utilized, are stepping stones to the very presence of God (see note of 1 Cor 10:13)”

Stepping Stones That Take You Higher

That verse and note alone would cause the blind to see and the lame to walk. That, all by itself, is a huge revelation.

To learn that any temptation you go through, it is an actual stepping stone to the very presence of God. It is a stepping stone because each trial or tribulation builds your faith and patience. And with faith and patience, you will inherit the promises.

That is a significant revelation when that sinks in. Think about it. When we go through trials, we can actually ‘count it all joy’ as Paul wrote, because we are getting closer to the presence of God Himself! WOW!

However, God is not done.

Not even close.

That was just an appetizer to the main course that was to come.

Never to the Limits of YOUR Endurance

The Lord had me to go 1 Cor. 10:13 but instead I went to 1 Cor 10:10. So I read 1 Cor 10:10 first and then I read the note.

Nothing!!

It did not fill my spirit; it wasn’t earth-shaking like the previous verses.

So I felt the Lord tell me to go back and look at the footnote again. I obeyed and discovered that I did indeed misread the note. It said 10:13, not 10:10. And so, I flipped back to 1 Cor. 10, and I found and read verse 13.

A temptation has not taken you, except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it. – 1 Cor. 10:13

WHOA!! I quickly scanned down the page to find the footnote.

It read: “God tempers every temptation and brings it within the limit of the endurance of the obedient child of God; never letting any temptation overpower one, who truly trusts and obeys him.”

Talk about mind blown!

I was just given the keys to an incredible secret. God will never allow you to be tempted beyond the limits of my endurance as His child.

That means that, no matter what I am going through, as long as I am an obedient child of God, it will NEVER be beyond the limits of my endurance.

I have that promise from God in His word.

So even when things seem to be too much, or I can’t handle it, or I’m being attacked the enemy too much; I just need to remember that I will never go through any temptation that is outside of the limits of my endurance.

Time to Lose Control

If I’m going through it, then that means that I can handle it because I know God promised me never to allow me to go through anything that I don’t have the ability to go through.

That, in turn, increases my faith because I know that I can give it to God and it is going to be ok and all taken care of.

This verse, this promise, this revelation frees me completely and totally from having to feel like I must be in constant control of everything.

And that is the cherry on the top of this delectable meal.