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PROGRAM D-7563

I want to point out how the poor girl in the fairy tale managed to allow this snake to deceive her. The first mistake she made was to talk to that snake. When you see a rattlesnake, there’s really no need for a discussion. You know their nature, you know it’s not going to change, so you don’t stop and talk; you run away as fast as you can.

Jesus said if your hand offends you, cut it off; if your eye offends you, pluck it out; if your foot offends you, get rid of it. That sounds very drastic, doesn’t it? Jesus is definitely trying to make a strong point with us, and that is, it’s better to be minus a foot or a hand or an eye than it is to allow ourselves to be caught in sin and led onto wrong paths.

I think it is at the initial stages that we make our most serious mistakes. Early on in the process of temptation, when first we are confronted with that rattlesnake, we have the opportunity to get away from it. But so often we make the mistake of thinking we can play around with it just a little bit, never intending to pick it up.

That’s where our problems start. When you see a rattlesnake, remind yourself that there is no safe territory with this thing. The Bible says that when we think we’re standing, we’re most likely to fall. When you find yourself thinking, “I can handle this,” or “I’ll just go so far and no further,” then you know you’re talking to that rattlesnake. Don’t allow the temptation to go any further. As soon as you see it, run.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we read, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

When you encounter a rattlesnake, you can be certain there is a way out. If you’ll move fast, God has provided a way of escape. The problem is that all too often we are attracted by that rattlesnake and hang around too long, and then the trap door is shut and we’ve missed the way of escape.