But you might think so after this morning’s post that popped up on Bearing Branch. Did you see it? (I deleted it, by the way.) I’m still scratching my head as to how the unfinished puppy was published. Maybe it was a tired mama mistake?
Let’s connect the dots and finish the picture here, today, in a more concrete display of words. Shall we?
Escape of the Wrong Kind
The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair.
But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will.
The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation,
but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture.
We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies,
tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God,
fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.
Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction
and building lives of obedience into maturity.
2 Cor. 10:3-6 MSG
Do you know the word? Escape. It’s the egress, a means of exit, out of a draining situation. It’s when we’ve gone around the same.crazy.block for the millionth time.
And we want to run away.
Stick our head in the closest pile of sand.
Hear nothing more as we stick finger in ear and sing “la la la” all the while, hoping the scenario will be miraculously solved.
Bickering in the house, between children or spouse.
Hurtful words that rise again.
Lies that surface like oil on water.
An emptiness that needs it’s fill.
They vary by family, differ by person, but we all have challenges of some sort we’re battling. Do you?
Our flesh wants desperately to escape. Flee and you’ll be free it promises.
And so we do at times. We stick our head in the not-so-spiritual sand in hopes that all that fusses and fumes will simply fade away.
But friend, do they?
Escape is the avenue, our wooden idol of sorts. We bury our eyes and mind in electronics or a smutty romance novel. Silence thrives and anger spews. Some run to food a plenty, chatter, jealousy, or a drink too many. Others give in to fornication’s pull or adultery’s fancy. A tie that seemingly can’t be broken to cigs and drugs binds each time.
They are all there, differing means of escape.
Golly, can you imagine if Jesus would have run away from the cross, sprinting hard and fast from the pain his flesh was about to face?
I’m outta here!
This is too difficult to face.
Nope.
Not gonna do it.
But he didn’t. He chose the righteous road versus escape. His flesh may have tried to fail, but his spirit knew joy was found on the other side.
There was a man on the television recently, on the Dr. Phil show, who cooed words that garnered my attention. (I know, Dr. Phil is the epitome of spiritual shows, right?!)
It was his escape he said. Gambling.
He fled to its safety when marriage got tough.
I was certain this stranger of a man beaming words out into TV land was right there in my living room. Those words were a call to attention. It was as if a drill sergeant had screamed, “Uh-ten-sion!”
The Holy Spirit was counseling my inner workings with each syllable of the man’s words.
Pay attention to his words. You, too, escape. Everyone has their means. There was a golden nugget of understanding in the man’s one, simple sentence. One word in particular contained the pot of gold: escape.
Choosing not to walk through a situation, ignoring the problem at hand, is an escape. The Lord was calling my attention to the fact that I had my own. Honestly, there had been a load of bickering between the children and weakness saw me bickering back with them from time to time. I had grown weary and uncertain of how to proceed. Moving had been tough and we still weren’t 100% adjusted. So I would escape. Stick my head in the sand of electronic devices. Ignore the situation. Sit in silence. Hope the world, or at least our house, would be a better place when I emerged, wiping off every last morsel of the gritty white stuff. Oh, I would love to say it’s perfect here. In these walls. In this house. In this heart and mind. But it’s not. It’s real and there are battles to face. Spiritual battles. There are times where I escape to one other than the Son in the heat of the battle. But He’s the One with the tools and power for success.
Unlike the man on television, gambling has never been my escape. Maybe it’s not yours either. But like a quack doctor that fills our ailment’s prescription, our flesh and emotions, if left unchecked by the Truth, will doctor us in the wrong way.
Escape won’t heal. Jesus will.
But maybe, just maybe, instead of a run away, we should conduct a “run to”…a run to the Son.
I believe this was His call, right there in the middle of Dr. Phil. The Go-To’s When Hearing “Attention!”: 1. Realize I have my means of escape. 2. Determine to change the “run away” (from the situation) to a “run to” (Jesus and a solution). 3. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal and heal. Reveal the wrong route (wrong thinking) and heal the heart (joy). 4. Put into action as the Truth guides.
Run to the Son. Yes. Run to the Son.
Look hard and well in His wonderful face. Soak in His strength through the washing of the Word. Dwell in the land of safety, the Solid Rock of a land, as we put into action the words He’s given.
Instead of escaping, I can…
~ Determine to do only what my Father does. (John 5:19)
~ Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. (James 1:19)
~ Treat others the way I’d like to be treated. (Luke 6:31)
~ Forgive (Matthew 6:12)
~ Don’t let the sun set on my anger (Eph. 4:26)
~ And more…. (The whole, crazy good Bible! Proverbs and the short books of the New Testament are great places to start.)
Use that sword to cut away the lies and imperfections in the situation. Rise in victory as we’ve faced, battled, and victored over even one little frustration or situation…all because we’ve run, instead, to the Son.
When we, like Jesus, push past the flesh,
joy awaits on the other side.
Maturity is there.
What’s your area of escape you’re battling today? This week? This month?
May I encourage you and myself while we’re at it? Let’s not waiver, not give up hope. Oh, I know it’s heavy at times. Frustrating, hurtful, and more.
But let’s encourage each other to face it and “run to.”Give up the easy, the familiar, the means of escape that is your go-to. Make Jesus and His Truth your go-to instead. It’s right. It’s the place you’ll find joy as you endure. A prayer for you today, my friend:
Father, I want to do as You do. Nothing compares to Your righteous way. I want to lay down my own vices and, instead, pick up my cross. Lord, reveal my means of escape. Make it clear. Forgive me for trusting a means other than You, giving it my time and not You. Heal me, Lord. Strengthen me. Victor in me. And I’ll give You the glory and praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Subscribe below to receive the 3-day devotional Removing the Sting of Rejection in your inbox for FREE. Use this devotional to build your spiritual muscles to counter the sting of rejection.
Thanks, Kristi, for linking up! And great post … even the preview : )
Even when I sit down to have my quiet time, I find myself first checking my email or social media and then wondering what will I find there when all I desire is here in His presence. But that desire to escape is a habit that’s hard to break. I just have to remind myself all those escapes give me are wasted minutes …
It sneaks in so easily, doesn’t it?! Those electronics and social media sites. Escaping is exactly what you said: a habit. And when we’re intentional about breaking that habit, well, that’s where God gets the glory. Happy Tuesday, my friend.
Fab words: “When we, like Jesus, push past the flesh, joy awaits on the other side. Maturity is there.” Yes, this is so true. We have so much awaiting us on the other side. Thank you for encouraging me and thank you for joining the Purposeful Faith Linkup! Cheering you and your insightful words.
It was a joy to linkup. Thanks for the opportunity, Kelly. I look forward to more…blessing in and blessing out…as we continue to lift the name of Jesus. 🙂
Thanks, Kristi, for linking up! And great post … even the preview : )
Even when I sit down to have my quiet time, I find myself first checking my email or social media and then wondering what will I find there when all I desire is here in His presence. But that desire to escape is a habit that’s hard to break. I just have to remind myself all those escapes give me are wasted minutes …
It sneaks in so easily, doesn’t it?! Those electronics and social media sites. Escaping is exactly what you said: a habit. And when we’re intentional about breaking that habit, well, that’s where God gets the glory. Happy Tuesday, my friend.
Fab words: “When we, like Jesus, push past the flesh,
joy awaits on the other side.
Maturity is there.”
Yes, this is so true. We have so much awaiting us on the other side. Thank you for encouraging me and thank you for joining the Purposeful Faith Linkup! Cheering you and your insightful words.
It was a joy to linkup. Thanks for the opportunity, Kelly. I look forward to more…blessing in and blessing out…as we continue to lift the name of Jesus. 🙂