My pastor recently read us this short, five-chapter story as a way to explain the progression of temptation in each of our lives. 
Chapter One I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost ... I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter Two I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend that I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in this same place. But it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. Chapter Three I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in ... it's a habit ... but my eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately. Chapter Four I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. Chapter Five I walk down another street. So many of you have written to us lately that you feel trapped in patterns of sin. For you the image of sin being like a hole you've fallen into and must struggle to get out of probably makes a lot sense. That's how sin feels, isn't it? Maybe that's why Isaiah 38:17 describes our lives without God as a "pit of destruction." If you're in a pit of sin, whether you've fallen in willingly or unwillingly, it's so important for you to understand that you don't have to stay there. But just like avoiding that hole in the sidewalk, it's also important for you make the hard choices necessary to avoid the sin pit the next time it's in your path. The Bible describes the sidewalk scenario this way:
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (James 1:14–15).
Let's break that down ... First, we desire something that is outside of God's best. Maybe it's a desire to find our worth in what others think of us or a desire to be noticed by the guys around us. Maybe we desire more stuff or revenge or for the world to revolve around us just for a minute. Those desires may not exactly be "sinful," but they open a hole in the sidewalk. We find ourselves in trouble when we willingly walk toward it. Sin happens when we jump into that hole. We start doing whatever it takes to get noticed, and suddenly we are trapped in sexual sin or wrapped up in gossip or pride because we fed our desire for attention. We sit at the bottom of the pit of selfishness or unforgivneness because we allowed our desire for those things to change our behavior. And the pit is dark. And we are afraid. And if we stay there we will face death—death of potential, death of relationships, death of intimacy with the One who died to save us from the "pit of destruction." This is why we must always be on the lookout for holes in the sidewalk—traps that would lure us into sin. It is also why when we find ourselves trapped by sin, we must turn and run down a different street. The Bible says that this way:
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Cor. 10:13).
God has promised that He will always, always, always provide another street for you to walk down. You don't have to keep walking down the same path and falling into the same pit. You don't have to climb out on your own either. God has provided a way out. So what are the holes in your sidewalk? What are the desires swirling in your head right now that make you vulnerable to the "pit of destruction"? Let me encourage you to take that question to God through prayer, and ask Him to show you if you're walking toward a hole. And if you're already in the hole, even if you've been in the hole a really long time, be encouraged that God's Word says that God will give you a way out. You do not have to stay in the pit. True, it will likely require you to walk down a whole new street. You will have to choose a radical change in direction. New streets can be scary and uncomfortable, but they sure beat life in a hole. How is God encouraging you to choose a new street?