As a teenager, one of my favorite shows to watch was called “Dangerman: the Incredible Mr. Goodwin.” The show was hosted by Jonathan Goodwin, a British stuntman who often performed his death-defying stunts in front of ordinary people. The show would get your adrenaline high! Many times my friends and I would want to do the same things Jonathan Goodwin did (even though he said at the beginning of the show to “not try anything we were about to see at home.”) Nonetheless, it was an exciting time with every new episode!
In the walk down memory lane I had while writing this article, one particular stunt came to my mind. Mr. Goodwin brought two spectators into a large warehouse with only a table in the middle. On that table was a giant bear trap. The daredevil then explained his plans: his goal was to reach in, trigger the trap’s mechanism, and pull his hand out before it would snap shut with his arm inside. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he reached into the iron jaws of the trap. In the blink of an eye—SNAP! The trap closed, and Jonathan Goodwin still had his arm. Despite the insane level of danger, his stunt went off without incident.
This stunt’s setup and execution obviously had serious consequences if things went wrong. However, the thrill of pushing the edge keeps people doing crazy, outlandish things. In reality, the same thing is true of our lives. How often do we go after sin because of the rush it gives us? That momentary feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment can quickly push us to chase after the same things again and again. Do we see the danger our sin brings us when chasing those things? Perhaps, but it’s usually not at the forefront of our minds at that time. If we are honest with ourselves, we often don’t recognize the danger until we are already deep within that sin. As Admiral Ackbar would say—“Its a trap!”
In his epistle, James details the process of our temptation and sin: “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (1:14-15). Pay attention to what he is saying here. Our temptations come from our desires/lusts when we allow them to “entice” us. The word used here literally means “to lure.” Just like the bait attached to the end of a fishing line, our desires can often hide our actions’ actual danger and consequences. They can lead us to follow after the things that will ultimately trap us because of how we feel when we receive those things. Instead of seeing the giant bear trap sitting in front of us, we just see the rush of excitement we can get from triggering it.
While the trap of sin is something we all have to face, we can still have hope! Looking to Scripture reveals to us the solution to our sin problems. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” The temptations and struggles we have are often strong and relentless, but we don’t have to face those things alone. We are not the first to face them, and we will not be the last. Particularly pay attention to the second part of the verse—“God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.” God knows our limits. He knows how much we can take and ensures that we will never be tempted more than what we can overcome. On top of that, He gives us the way out of those temptations—the “way of escape” as an avenue to safety and security.
I wish I could tell everyone that there will come the point in life where sin will no longer be appealing or that there will no longer be a rush of excitement to pursue it. However, I can tell you that we can avoid the trap set before us. We can begin to see the danger we are putting ourselves in if we simply start to examine our hearts. We can choose to make the needed changes—to step away from the trap before it gets sprung. It’s not an easy choice to make, but we can overcome it with God’s help. Remember, “He is faithful.” So I encourage us all to take a moment to look past the excitement and rush that is put before us and look for the bear trap waiting to destroy us.
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