¹¹ Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. ¹² Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).

I bought my first Bass Boat when I was 20-years old, and I fished most every weekend either on Livingston, Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, or Lake Conroe. Most of these lakes were loaded with flooded timber, and eventually that timber broke off and fell right at the waterline creating a boating hazard,….stumps and lots of them. As long as you could see them it wasn’t a big problem, but what happened quite often was heavy rain would come causing the water level to rise and covering the stumps. You can’t see them but believe me they are still there. If you have ever hit one and busted a lower unit you know what I’m talking about.

In the above passage from the Apostle Paul, “all these things happened to them as example,” Paul is referring to the bad examples given to us by the Israelites following the Exodus from Egypt. We certainly should take heed to these warnings since we have these examples we have a greater responsibility, because we can learn from their mistakes.

(Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall): For the Corinthian Christians to resist the temptation to be selfish and self-focused, they must first understand they are vulnerable. The one who thinks he stands will not stay on guard against temptation, so he may easily fall.

Temptation is like those stumps when the lake is low and you can see them clearly you go around them, Satan’s strategy is to raise the lake level covering the stumps (the dangers of temptation) in hopes that you will go zipping through them and “bam” bust your lower unit. 

Our defense against this is to know the waters we fish and make a mental note of those areas when the water is low and they are exposed, then drive around them. Avoid those temptations finding strength in the Lord by consulting His topo map, His holy Word.