The scariest thing in the woods is not the grizzly bear or the wolf. It’s not what you might think it is at all; it’s a bird. The scariest thing in the woods is a ruffed grouse. Now wait a minute, Kevin. Grizzlies and wolves can be dangerous creatures. An angry moose or bison can do a great deal of damage to a person, and you say it’s a bird?
How can a timid bird like a ruffed grouse, with no teeth and that never attacks people, be the scariest thing in the woods? If you’ve ever had one flush unexpectedly at your feet, you’d know.
A sudden burst of creature with an explosive sound right in front of you or next to you is guaranteed to send your startle reflex into overdrive. You’ll think for a split second that you’re having a heart attack and either jump or stand there completely stunned.
Then you’ll laugh at yourself for being startled (again) by a stupid grouse. It’s only for a moment, but on the fright scale it’s right up there. To anyone watching, I’m sure it’s hilarious, especially if the grouse explodes from cover between two people; it’s twice the startle.
I’ve encountered bears and wolves in the woods many times. I’ve met moose and bison on trails. None of them frightened me. Oh, to be certain, I’ve treated them with a great deal of caution and respect but never fear. Grouse, on the other hand, have flushed near me many times, and they never fail to cause the startle reaction to fire.
The biggest, baddest things we encounter are not the most likely to be a problem. It’s the smaller things that we don’t notice or perceive as a threat.
Sin starts that way. It starts as an idea and works its way from there.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.James 1:13-15 ESV
A simple desire, small, relatively harmless in and of itself, leads to temptation. That’s the point where we need to be dealing with it in prayer, long before it moves from temptation to actual sin. Yes, the Lord will forgive us when we stumble, but it’s better to head off the problems sin causes.
No one just happens to steal, give in to lust, hurt another person or commit any other sin. It’s something that found ground earlier in their thought life. A seed of desire had been planted and nurtured beforehand. Perhaps the stumble seems surprising, but the ground was already laid and waiting for the perfect moment to bear fruit.
Let’s work to regularly wash ourselves with the Word, turn to the Lord in prayer and trust the Holy Spirit so that we don’t allow the temptation to grow.
May we be more like Jesus every day.
Kevin
SUMMARY
The biggest dangers in the woods aren’t usually the problem; it’s the small things we don’t see coming. Sin works the same way, so we need to deal with small desires in prayer before temptation grows.
TAKEAWAY
The biggest, baddest things you encounter are not the most likely to be a problem. Watch for the smaller things you don’t notice or perceive as a threat.
Sin doesn’t just happen to you. It starts as a simple desire, finds ground in your thought life, and grows from temptation into sin.
Deal with temptation in prayer long before it moves to actual sin. Regularly wash yourself with the Word, turn to the Lord in prayer and trust the Holy Spirit so the temptation doesn’t grow.