HOW TO KILL A FROG

By Chad Robichaux – 

Boiling a frog in water is certainly something I don’t endorse trying.  However, this is a tragic illustration of how many people live their lives in sin, while testing the boundaries of consequences and death.
If you were to set a frog in a pot of water atop a hot stove, the frog would feel safe to stay there.  As the water heated up, the cold-blooded frog would enjoy the warmth of the water and take pleasure in continuing to stay put.  At some point, the water would turn from warm to hot, but the frog would be enjoying it too much to leap out and may think… I am okay for now and I will hop on out if it gets too hot.  However, when the water reaches a dangerous boiling point, it is now life or death to the frog.  The frog may attempt to leap to freedom, but it is too late.  As the water reaches boiling temperature, the weakened frog doesn’t have the strength to escape, and with no ability to get to safety the frog perishes.
The frog is us… and the water, sin.  Many of us step into sin and poor choices feeling safe and comfortable.  We believe we can jump out of our situation at any time.  The truth is that as the warm water felt good to the frog, sin feels good to us… it is enticing and may feel freeing and satisfying; meeting the desires of our selfish wants and lusts.  As the water warms, we might think like the frog, “I like this; maybe I’ll stay for a while!”  However, sin is a trap set by the enemy.  It always looks and feels good… and may even seem like the right thing and all we’ve ever wanted.  Yet, what can seem good and satisfying can have very real physical and spiritual consequences.  As we choose to stay in our sin and not turn and run, we eventually reach a point of no return.  At some point, most of us realize we went down the wrong path.  We chose the path we should have never traveled, and when we try to jump out of the boiling water it is too late.  The extremes of the environment of sin have taken away our strength and ability to jump to freedom, and like the frog, we stay there to perish.
This doesn’t have to be the case for us…
First, we should never even dip our toe into that pot to begin with…

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7

Despite knowing right from wrong, and discerning wisdom over foolishness, we step into sin anyway.  In fact, sometimes we dive into the pot of water headfirst.  The good news is that at any point in the midst of our sin and poor choices, we have the power to cut ties, turn and run.
The bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.”

If you, like I have before, jumped into hot water and choose to “stay for a while” … you know what happens next.  The water will begin to boil and you will find yourself feeling there is no escape and death is imminent. Yet, it is never too late.  That is the beauty of the Gospel message and what separates us from any other faith ever presented in history.  God offers us a second chance, a way out of the boiling water, when we feel there is no hope… we are offered a Savior to rescue us through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is not about being good enough, but turning to Him to carry us out of the darkness and into the life He intends for us.
In Acts 2:21 the bible shares that hope of rescue with each of us:

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Our path in life will face many challenges and trials, and we will all be tempted by sin and an enemy committed to destroying us with lies and deceit, by offering us the desires of our flesh… but, it always comes at a cost.  As good as it may look or feel, sin is a trap that keeps us in the boiling water and eventually kills us.  Yet, unlike the frog, when we cannot find a way out, we can call out… to a Savior in Christ.