Sunday, September 07, 2008

Alma 13:28

For a few years now I have had a problem with the statement "The Lord does not tempt you beyond that which you can bear." I have mentioned it to few because I have been searching to find an answer to my question... Our Father in Heaven has laws to abide by and Satan breaks every law possible so, how can we say that Satan will not be able to tempt us. It seems to me he would try his very best to sneak in and abuse the powers that our loving Father in Heaven wants to protect us with.  He does not have to listen to the laws of God, in fact he will break them at any chance he gets, that is what makes him The Devil Right??


I have been thinking about this for a long time, we are talking years here people. I haven't thought about it every day but, whenever I hear someone mention it I have wondered!
As I was sitting in Relief Society today we were talking about the Plan of Salvation and what it means for us and the topic turned to those cartoons where you see the Devil on one shoulder and and angel on the other, then when the person makes the wrong choice they say The devil made me do it. The teacher then quoted Joseph Smith saying "All beings have power over those who have not"  Going on from there we ended up talking about how Satan has 1/3 of the host of Heaven at his disposal to help him in tempting us but, because they have no bodies we still have way more power than they do to overcome those temptations. 

When you read Paul's words in 1 Cor. 10:13 he says " There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able" it does not stop there he goes on to say "But will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" 

My question rages on he does not say he will stop temptation just that you can make an escape...  Anyway I found a scripture that finishes my point Alma 13:28 "But ye that would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his Holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear" Alma  then goes on to describe the attributes that lead to eternal life. humble, meek submissive, repentance, charity, ect...  

So back to the angel and the devil scenario. I think I have figured it out finally. We are to make our homes and our lives be in such and order having all of the attributes of Heaven in order to be able to have those spirits who work for our good, be it guardian angels, ministers, spirits, whatever, be able to fight in our lives. Because Satan does not have to abide any laws he can send any and all of his destroyers he wants to bring us down. But if we have humbled ourselves and fortified our lives in such a way that our Father in Heavens spirits can stand to be with us then, and only then, can they fight our battles with us  and help us to not be tempted above what we can handle. 

Yet another example of the Book of Mormon and he Bible working together to answer my questions. Let me know what you think?? I would love to hear your opinions on this subject.

10 comments:

Lisa M. said...

I enjoyed this post. What an amazing lesson to be a part of.

I too have asked myself that question.

I often say, that I was dragged into the 2/3s line, kicking and screaming and under duress.

This puts it all back into perspective.

I am glad you shared it.

Cristen said...

This is awesome. Thank you so much for sharing it. You are so awesome.

Robyn said...

Good discussion Pea. I have pondered that question for so long. I usually just throw my hands up and just look at Job.

You have helped put things in better perspective. (And you and yours have certainly been rightfully asking those questions for a long time.)

Jamie said...

Hi Erin,
This is Troy's wife, Jamie. Nancy told me about your blog.
Anyway, great post. I have always read the verse in Corinthians, the part about making a way to escape the temptation and thought it meant Christ. Christ is the way we escape temptation. And He is the way we overcome it, if we do give in. He is the way we overcome faults, flaws, sin, addiction...everything. And God prepared Him for that purpose.
Makes you just love Them both even more!

The Pea said...

Jamie, how fun to see you here. Do you bog?? I could not see your profile when i clicked I would love to see it.. Thank you for sharing.

Chronicler, You rock Job is who I have always thought of too, I just thought there had to be more to it than that. So for a long. I feel like I have started along another path for this one question now.

Lisa, Great to see you I doubt very much that you were not the one helping others find a way onto that path!

S'mee said...

coming late to the party as usual, however this is my take:

God gave us agency, that is all the power we need to "escape", it's *our* choice whether or not to follow temptation. Granted if chocolate were a sin I'd be in big doodoo, and yup I make mistakes all day every day and through the Atonement of Christ I am able to escape those sins and become perfected, however- the *first* escape tool is my own agency.

Kind of like in the scriptures where it says "we are saved after all *we* can do". I think Heavenly Father gave us will (which Satan wanted to take from us) and that will can be strengthened each time by overcoming our temptations.

Heavenly Father also told us that *everything* we experience on this earth can be used for our benefit. So our mistakes, if we choose to, can cause us to grow *if* we learn from them.

Bad situations, trials and other forms of stress can also benefit us Spiritually... the whole "weak things being made strong". Think of the things you and your family have been through that other women your age have not. Are you stronger, more faith filled, do you have more hope, endurance and a bit of wisdom beyond your peers? Do you appreciate your parents more than you observe your peers? Do you have a clearer understanding of time and eternity? How is your testimony of temple blessings in comparison to others your age? Those trials have benefited you, albeit painfully. Because of your trials and temptations your Spirit has matured beyond your chronological age.

Also, who is doing the tempting? The Lord or Satan? Either way I still see agency as being our first tool, the Atonement as the second. The Atonement will fill in those gaps that will save us from our weakness and allow us to again stand in the presence of God with confidence.

AWESOME post.

The Pea said...

Smee- I love you so much! Thank you for your insight. As always you bring a fresh new perspective to my ever turning mind!

Paul M. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Paul M. said...

I really liked this post! I've been thinking about your questions all day. I think it's important to note that God does not tempt us to sin, but he allows us to be tempted up to a point; the point at which we can no longer bear it. Only god knows what that point is I think. Personally, there have been many times in my life when I have thought that god must have terribly overestimated my strength. But I know that without pain there isn't growth, and sometimes it takes extraordinary amounts of suffering to force us to grow or change. Heavenly father allows us to experience it, if necessary, right up to the point where it's impossible to bear, and then he'll save us. It's hard, but sometimes we're just not aware of how much we're capable of until we're forced to acquiesce. Like a parent, he suffers with us, but must allow us the opportunity to overcome adversity. I think it is the only way that we can become more like him.

I remember reading somewhere in 2nd Nephi (I think) where Nephi prays fervently that The Lord might take away his desire for sin; to make him shake at the sight of it. It leads me to wonder if through earnest effort and prayer we might be granted reprieve from our temptations and be changed in such a way that sin is no longer desirable. I'm sure, however, that obtaining such a blessing would require extreme faith and perseverance.

I'm so glad you got me thinking about this. It's been a while since I've spent much time thinking about spiritual matters. Thank you!

The Pea said...

Paul
It is so funny that would would mention 2nd Nephi. I practically have that prayer memorized I have read it so many times I have never thought of it in context with tis though. Thank you for that it is very interesting!!!