People usually base “God won’t give you more than you can handle” on verse 13 (God “won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities”). Paul was explicitly talking about temptation, notably the temptation to go back to serving false gods (verse 14). Israel fell into that trap in the desert (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:1-10). It was a very live issue for the Corinthian Christians. Paul said that no temptation could force them to sin, to abandon their devotion to God. He did not say all life situations are within our power to “handle.”

• Temptations to worship pagan gods abounded in Corinth. Many business dealings and relationships came about at feasts honoring pagan idols. Social status often relied on attending such feasts. “Priestesses of Aphrodite” (i.e. prostitutes) had many clients. What powers and pressures today can push you to compromise, abandon or hide your commitment to Christ? Can any of them leave you with no choice but to give up your faith?
• Pastor Kenneth Chafin wrote, “[Some] in the church in Corinth felt that the fact that they had been baptized and had partaken of the Lord’s Supper made them immune to the temptations of idol worship … We cannot trust in religious ceremony that does not usher us into a different kind of life.” Have you ever hoped that your service to others, your church attendance or your giving made you spiritually “immune”? Ask God to “nudge” you inwardly if you need to heed verse 12’s warning in some area of life: “Those who think they are standing need to watch out or else they may fall.”