Satan’s Subtle Snares
SET A WATCH, O LORD, BEFORE MY MOUTH; KEEP THE DOOR OF MY LIPS. INCLINE NOT MY HEART TO ANY EVIL THING, TO PRACTISE WICKED WORKS WITH MEN THAT WORK INIQUITY: AND LET ME NOT EAT OF THEIR DAINTIES.
Psalm 141:3-4 (KJV)
This post on the surface addresses the same subject as Traps On Your Wayside, but from a different angle. I also recommend on this subject the post by sister Nicola, The Trap of Deceit. Interestingly this post has been delayed due to family affairs keeping me busy; I reckon that Satan doesn’t want this posted!
I quote from the KJV version today for I feel it is more direct than my usual NASB. I particularly love the use of the word “dainties” instead of delicacies (NASB); for it reminds me of a small penny toffee sweet made by McCowan’s Toffee, which we called “dainties” in Scotland. On our way to school from the village we always stopped at the local sweet shop, where dainties were very popular along with bonbons and other sweets. This seems frivolous, but I also remember that some lads used their dainties as bribery for others to do something which they shouldn’t have been doing. Do you get the drift brethren? This is the way Satan and his traps work; they don’t drive us with a stick…they lure us with “dainties!” In this world things will tempt us that look harmless and maybe look nice, but we need to stop and think whether they are honouring to God and His Holy Word…if the answer is no, then we need to steer clear of these “dainties.”
These snares are not obvious at all, they are subtlely hidden under the guise of something that looks good, or tasty. This is where we are most vulnerable to the spiritual deceptions of the world, and we may rush into them unawares…often leading with our tongue first. In such times when we open our mouth unaware of the danger ahead our soul is already in the grip of the jaws of sin. The traps of Satan are looking to catch you by the tongue first, we must follow the example of the psalmist who writes thus,
“I WILL TAKE HEED TO MY WAYS, THAT I SIN NOT WITH MY TONGUE: I WILL KEEP MY MOUTH WITH A BRIDLE, WHILE THE WICKED IS BEFORE ME.” (Psalm 39:1).
Dear reader, there are many traps laid for us by the enemy along the Narrow Way. The most of these are not sprung by force on us, but by subtle temptations that may appear harmless or desirable on the surface. Let us endeavour to stop, think and pray before we say a word, or act on what lays before us each day. Are these “dainties” diverting you from serving and honouring God your Father? If so, spit them out of your mouth!
Alan Kearns is a Christian father and grandfather from Scotland. He was raised in the mining villages of Fife and came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior in 1984. A major influence that leads Alan to Jesus was his Christian mum, grandparents and an aunt. Alan writes regular devotionals in his blog Devotional Treasures
0 Comments