Week Six, 2019
WHAT’S THE CHEESE IN YOUR TRAP?
And take these ten cheeses to the commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are getting along and bring back something to show that you saw them and that they are well. —Samuel 17:18
The acorns are falling and the rats are crawling. They have taken residence in our garage attic and found a way to get down to the main floor, where they have raised havoc on some bags of wild bird seed.
In need of a way to evict them, I went online and ordered three rat traps and after baiting them with cheese retired for the night to let them do their work. Each morning I go into the garage to view the night’s catch. I keep trapping and they keep coming.
Life is like that. There are traps everywhere and often baited attractively, but when you take the bait, the trap snaps faster than you can run away.
Satan is the greatest trapper of all. Our path of life is strewn with his good-looking traps. John Bevere’s book The Bait of Satan has sold nearly a million copies. His bait is often very tempting, but what looks good on the outside can crush you on the inside.
Have you ever fallen into a trap laid by Satan? The truth is that all of us have at some point fallen victim to the devil’s schemes, so how can we better protect ourselves? How can we recognize the temptations and deceit of Satan, so that we can be prepared to ward off his advances and stand courageous and faithful with God?
Satan constantly tries to catch us. But he is not always like a hunter who kills the animals he catches. What the Devil really wants to do when he catches someone is to make that person do what he wants. A trapper may use different snares, or traps, to catch an animal. He may start a fire to get the animal out of its hiding place so that it becomes easier to catch it. Or he may catch the animal by using a noose. He may also use a trap that he has hidden. The animal touches it and is crushed. Satan also uses traps to catch God’s servants. If we do not want to get caught, we must be alert and pay attention to the warning signs that help us to know where Satan’s traps are.
The best place is to start with the Word. If you are daily in the Word, you are far less likely to fall into the snares of Satan’s traps. The Word not only assures us of Jesus’ constant presence in the lives of His followers, but it gives us practical advice as well. Avoid situations and people that lead to sin. Certain people, places, and situations make sinning easy. Get help.
You don’t need to fight your temptations alone.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
Rider University in New Jersey recently asked students what fast-food restaurant they would like to see on campus. Once it became clear that Chick-fil-A was their choice, the school’s leaders excluded this option, citing concerns over the company’s alleged attitudes toward the LGBTQ community.
BIG NEWS!
Did you see the big news? Scientists recently completed a massive study of genetic “bar codes” and were shocked to discover that all human beings are descended from two people. They could have saved time and money by just reading Chapter 1 of Genesis.
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
We need to count her blessed as the Mother of our incarnate Lord. But let’s be careful not to put her on a pedestal that neither she, nor Jesus would approve of. —John Piper
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'” – Matthew 22:37-40 NIV
Finally, this chapter aims to persuade you that there is almost nothing more important we can do for our young than convince them that production is more satisfying than consumption. Indeed, a hallmark of virtuous adulthood is learning to find freedom in your work, rather than freedom from your work, even when work hurts.