Press the accelerator and Drive Forward Now!
We do not see what we are not looking for.
Laugh at yourself
Have you ever experienced one of those brain-dead moments when you wind up just having to laugh at yourself – all the while hoping that no one was watching? I probably have those moments more often than I would like to admit. But thankfully, most of them are not in public. Lol!
I had one of those moments one day as I was leaving my doctor’s office. Those visits are never fun to begin with. I’m sure the appointment had taken longer than expected, and I was in a hurry to get somewhere else – which seems to be the way I live. When I got to the exit of the parking deck, I could not get the machine to take my ticket. No matter what I did, it would not read my ticket.
Step on the Accelerator
As I continued to get frustrated, I looked up and realized that the gate was already open. The parking deck had closed while I was in the doctor’s office. The gate was up for the night. What a moment! I was thrilled to see that my “escape route” was easily accessible. But I also had that moment of, “I hope no one was watching me.” How ridiculous I must have looked trying to get the machine to take my ticket while all that was necessary was for me to step on the accelerator and drive forward.
How many times in our Christian walk do we do the same exact thing? Too often we are so focused on the problems we are struggling with that we fail to step on the accelerator and drive forward, trusting God to raise the gate. First Corinthians 10:13 tells us, No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Look up!
God always provides a way of escape because he expects, and even demands, that we avoid getting tangled up in sin. It is impossible to experience God’s promised peace and joy if our flesh is speaking louder than our spirit. And Paul makes it exceedingly clear that God has done his part. However, it is up to us to take the escape route that has been provided – to look up and see it.
Paul also makes it abundantly clear that we all have equal access to God’s provision: All of them [the Israelites in the wilderness] ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 (NLT)
Look for the Escape Route
Wow! I love Paul’s straightforward method of communication! “Their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” That makes it crystal clear for us what God thought about their behavior. While we tend to minimize our lack of trust, it appears here that God takes it pretty seriously. And because of His great love for us, He has already lifted the gate and prepared the road ahead. Nevertheless, He expects us to lift our eyes and follow.
It is absolutely necessary that we look for the escape route, because we rarely see what we are not looking for. Maybe the escape route will be scriptures that apply to our situation. Or maybe it will be seeking counsel from godly people whom we trust. But sometimes, the moment may be too urgent to allow time for research.
Standing at the Precipice
That’s why it is imperative that you have an SOS escape route in place – so if you are standing at the precipice and need a way out immediately, you have it. (For more on this, see the last post, Be Prepared) This would likely be a phone call to a trusted friend or accountability partner – someone that you can contact anytime, night or day.
In other situations, we may need more than a momentary escape. We might need a lifestyle change. In those cases, we need to look to things like small group Bible studies, church attendance, or family members for the accountability that we need to empower us to make the right decisions to move forward.
Our God is a great big God!
Our God is a great big God, so the possible ways of escape are endless. But one thing is absolutely certain – as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, God has provided for your escape. Still, you must be looking for it.
So remember to look up. The way of escape is in front of you. It may be a moment when you need to step on the accelerator and move forward – leaving your struggles behind. The Blessing Road is ahead of you and the gate is up. See you out there! J
GUARD RAIL: Remember to look up!
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)