Removing The Frogs Of Addiction

REMOVING THE FROGS

THEME: REMOVING SINFUL HABITS TODAY NOT TOMORROW.

There was a merciful dullness in her mind now, a dullness that she knew from long experience would soon give way to sharp pain, even as severed tissues, shocked by the surgeon’s knife, have a brief instant of insensibility before their agony begins. “I won’t think of it now,” she thought grimly, summoning up her old charm. “I’ll go crazy if I think about losing him now. I’ll think of it tomorrow. “But,” cried her heart, casting aside the charm and beginning to ache, “I can’t let him Go! There must be some way!”

With the spirit of her people who would not know defeat, even when it stared them in the face, she raised her chin. She could get Rhett back. She knew she could. There had never been a man she couldn’t get, once she set her mind upon it. “I’ll think of it all tomorrow, at Tara. I can stand it then. Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.

Scarlet was not the only one to worry about problem until tomorrow. In fact, a long, long time ago, Pharaoh had the same mindset. Pharaoh shockingly wanted to wait until tomorrow to worry about removing the plague of frogs on his nation. “Exodus 8:1-13 “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ’Thus says the LORD, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. "But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your whole territory with frogs. "And the Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. "So the frogs will come up on you and your people and all your servants."’" Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, ’Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’" So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Entreat the LORD that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD." And Moses said to Pharaoh, "The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?" Then he said, "Tomorrow." So he said, "May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. "And the frogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile." Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields.”

Scarlet and Pharaoh were two people that lived after the slogan of “never doing today, what can be put off until tomorrow.” But why would Pharaoh delay Moses praying to God to remove the frogs. It must have been a serious pain to deal with frogs in the houses, in the Businesses, on the tables, and under your feet. Frogs were everywhere. Why would Pharaoh put off removing the frogs from the nation until the next day? What was he thinking? He plainly hated the frogs being there. He was destructive to the surroundings. It was annoying. What made Pharaoh keep the frogs around?

Moses must have thought he was doing him a favor when he asked him when he wanted the frogs removed. I am sure Moses expected Pharaoh to demand that he remove the frogs immediately. Moses was being kind to Pharaoh but Pharaoh still delayed the removal of the frogs. Just imagine the shock on Moses’ face when Pharaoh told him to wait a day. Notice that Moses was like find with me if you do not want these frogs out of the way. I will wait until tomorrow if you want.

Pharaoh was certainly not like my grandmother Webster. Grandmother hated to creatures on earth—caterpillars and frogs. Of course as some of you know I was the feared frog catcher of Nova Scotia growing up. My grandmother lived on a huge farm with ponds and brooks running through it. There were tons of places to catch frogs on her property. Every young child who catches a huge frog wants to showoff his catch. No one believes the big frog got away story like people do not believe the big fish got away stories. So I would bring the frogs to grandmother. We learned very swiftly that grandmother wanted nothing to do with frogs in the house. Grandmother would demand adamantly that we take that frog out of the house immediately. Grandmother certain was no pharaoh when it comes to tolerating frogs.