John 8:34--Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
(Found on Reddit) A law professor in Australia spent 20 years as a cop before becoming a lawyer and eventually teaching. In explain the BATTERED WIFE syndrome of defense to murder, he told a story of a call to a little old lady’s house where she had said on the phone that she had killed her husband. Before this incident, he didn’t really understand why it existed. Why doesn’t the woman just leave? Why doesn’t she just go to someone else’s house?
The officer/professor showed up to the door and was greeted by a little old lady saying “Come in. Would you like some tea? He goes in and she starts putting some cakes on a tray and pouring tea. He wonders if she is all there.
He asked, “so you said that you killed your husband on the phone. Would I be able to see him?” she directs him to the living room where the old man was on a lazy boy chair, bottle in hand, and a tomahawk in his skull. Meanwhile, the little old lady is asking if he takes sugar or milk in his tea.
The professor said at this moment that he realized why the defense of battered wife existed. The drunk old guy had been beating her for years, controlled all the money, and did not let her have any friends. She had no where to go even if she left him. So on this day, after saying he was going to beat her if his sports team lost, she took matters into her own hands.
He said this was the moment he realized that sometimes there are situations where life doesn’t make sense and people take the only way out, or path, that they can see. The lady ended up being cleared of any charges (If I recall correctly).
Many times in life, we are faced with situations that are similar to this. Maybe it is a job situation or any family or social situation, we may find ourselves in that we feel like we have no way out. Eventually, as was the case with this little old lady, there will come that moment of truth (where a decision has to be made) or that tipping point (A place where the unexpected becomes expected, where radical change is more than possibility. It is – contrary to all our expectations – a certainty.—Malcolm Gladwell). For the little old lady, the UNEXPECTED HAPPENED which was a tomahawk to the head of her abusive husband. There must have been something that clicked inside of her that caused her to have to make a decision (A MOMENT OF TRUTH).
With that said, turn in your Bibles to 1 Cor 10:13--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.
WHAT IF HE DOES NOT PROVIDE A WAY OUT? OR WHAT IF WE DON’T SEE THE WAY OUT THAT HE PROVIDES BECAUSE WE ARE BATTERED BY THE DEVIL?
FIRST, let’s think about the fact that Paul starts off chapter 10 with an effort to get us to think about what happened in the past. Though we are not supposed to dwell on the past, we do need to think about previous events or transgressions (and learn from them). Sometimes, we need to let history teach us how we should handle current struggles and temptations.
Israel...
1. Craved evil things
2. They were idolaters
3. They engaged in pagan revelry
4. They were sexually immoral
5. They tested God repeatedly
6. They grumbled often
Genesis 3:17-19--“To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground…”
Proverbs 24:30-31-30 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.
Hebrews 6:8--But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
THORNS AND THISTLES IN THE ORIGINAL CURSE ON SIN ARE A SYMBOLIC REMINDER OF THE THINGS THAT CHOKE OUT FRUIT IN OUR LIVES; THE THINGS THAT WOUND INSTEAD OF NOURISH.
GOD HAD STATED THAT BECAUSE MAN DID NOT LISTEN TO GOD, MAN WOULD TOIL PAINFULLY AND MUCH OF WHAT THEY DO WOULD BE CHOKED OUT BECAUSE OF THE SIN THAT CONTINUES TO COME UP EVERYWHERE. THE MORE BARREN AND EMPTY WE ARE IN PRODUCING GOOD FRUIT, THE BETTER THE CHANCE WE BECOME WORTHLESS TO GOD AND WIND UP ETERNALLY CURSED AND BURNED UP.
With all that said, many of us are in a relationship with the world and with the devil that has left us battered and caught in sin to a point that it is all we know. We need to divorce ourselves from the devil, but where do we go? Sin has caused us to lose connection with others in the kingdom of God. Sin has taken our money and controlled it.
FIGHT, FLIGHT (OR FREEZE)
Sociologist will often tell us that when we are faced with situations that area threat to us, we will naturally react in one of two main ways. Fight or Flight. (some will say there is also a third response, which is freeze)
The one thing we don’t want to do, is FREEZE when in the midst of a threat of sin. By default, this reaction refers to a situation in which you’ve concluded (in a matter of seconds—if not milliseconds) that you can neither defeat the frighteningly dangerous opponent confronting you nor safely bolt from it. You feel utterly helpless: neither fight nor flight is viable, and there’s no one on the scene to rescue you. This is more in line with the BATTERED WIFE SYNDROME OR BATTERED CHRISTIAN SYNDROME.
The Bible gives us some examples of “fight or flight” when we are faced with temptations.
When Paul was speaking to those in Corinth, he instructed them to run (FLIGHT) from:
1. Sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:18)
2. Idolatry (1 Cor 10:14)
3. The love of money (1 Tim 6:9-11)
4. Youthful lusts (2 Tim 2:22)
Proverbs 6:27 lets us know that there are situations we need to avoid. Think about what happened between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. “But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me.’ But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside” (Genesis 39:11-12)
There are also times that we have to FIGHT.
Jude tells us to “earnestly contend for the faith (1:3). We need to fight for what we believe in.
James tells us to stand firm against the devil. “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (4:7).
Remember, Jesus fought the devil when he was tempted (Matt 4).
CONCLUSION
We do have the choice to fight, flight, or freeze. In the end though, the most important thing is to abide. We are to abide in Christ. We need to stay in Christ.
