Easier to Stay Out

My two older brothers and I were swimming in the ocean in Florida. We were in a little inlet where the water wasn't too rough. I was about 5-6 years old. I went under to discover more of the unknown and my oldest brother, several feet away, said when I came up it looked like someone had hit me across the face with a whip. I began crying and felt stinging all across my face. Our dad was stationed in the Air Force at the time and I was taken to the hospital there and we found I had been stung by a Portuguese man o' war. Yikes! Ended up with scabs all across my face for days.

Trouble. We don't have to look for it. It will come find us. This is part of the result of the fall. We live in a fallen world and even the earth groans as a result. Hard times and bad times come our way because of the fall. And Scripture teaches Satan seeks to devour. But there is a way out of trouble. And it truly is always easier to STAY out of trouble than to GET out of trouble.

The point here isn't to try and teach others that there's a way to live a trouble free life. This isn't reality. But it is possible to make wise decisions that will keep us away from a lot of trouble. Many times the decision is difficult because it may go against the tendencies of our baser nature or against the wishes of the crowd and that's difficult. But more times than not it's even more difficult to get out of the results of that poor decision later on when you are thinking from a better perspective. How many times have we looked back on an unwise decision and wished, "If only...?" But the decision was made and the pain is still felt. By the way, it's very rare, but did you know that there are two documented cases in Florida of people who have died from the sting of the Portuguese man o' war? And did you know that the Portuguese man o' war can still sting someone as much as two days after it has died? Yup yup.

So what specific can you put to practice this week as a result of these words? Perhaps an enticement that needs a "No". Is it time to shake a friend by the shoulders because you love them and want to keep them from future regrets? Find a specific. You have one week.