A Mouse in the House

One fall Saturday evening our family hosted an outdoor event for the couples in our church life group. We welcomed these younger couples and their children to an exciting time of food, fun, and fellowship. With the back door being frequently opened and closed, another little guest decided to join the party. I don't think the tiny, brown mouse realized what he was getting himself into. After all the people-guest had left, this mouse-guest was still in the house. I really felt sorry for the little guy. It was obvious that he really did not want to be there. He ultimately ran into our bedroom, where he was climbing the curtains and hiding under furniture to try to find a way of escape. Oh, how the unfortunate mouse wanted to find a path to freedom. At first, we thought of trying to catch him in a towel so that we could just put him back outside, but catching a speedy, energetic mouse is next to impossible. As much as we hated to do it, a mousetrap seemed to be our only option. Not wanting to sleep with a mouse on the loose in our bedroom that night, our strategy was to herd him into the hall bathroom where the peanut-butter-coated mousetrap was placed. We blocked all other routes of escape except the doorway to the hall bathroom. After numerous squeals on my part, we finally managed to scurry the mouse into the bathroom. Not long afterwards, the unfortunate, small rodent encountered the tempting food on the mousetrap and then went to "mouse heaven." I felt badly for him. He had been trapped in our house, but he really did not want to be there. Have you ever felt trapped or confined in anyway, and you really did not want to be there? Much like the tiny mouse, you do not see any way of escape? Maybe you feel unable to escape from an unpleasant home situation with various forms of abuse… verbal abuse, sexual abuse, or physical abuse. Maybe you feel trapped with a tendency toward a particular sin. You wish you could escape from "the sin which easily besets" you (Hebrews12:1), but you feel trapped. There is hope! There is a way to escape! Hope is found in the encouraging words of I Corinthians 10:13, where it says that God will "with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." God has provided a way of escape through His power in you.

Here are some practical steps to victory:

* Ask God for his forgiveness and help. * Seek the counsel of a trusted, godly person. * Avoid circumstances (places or people) that will pull you down. * Write out and/or memorize a Bible verse that is applicable to your particular area of temptation. * Verbally cover yourself with the blood of Christ (Revelation 12:11). * Thank God in advance for the victory He will give you. * Sing God-honoring songs of praise when the temptation to sin comes. God has promised victory to His children. You do not have to be like the unfortunate, little brown mouse that was trapped in our house. God provides a way of escape!