Satan’s dirty tricks and God’s remedies (part 3)

Satan presents the bait and hides the hook

Abstain from every form of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 (ESV)

Satan desires to draw us into sin. And one of his dirty tricks is to present the bait and hide the hook. He always presents sin as something that would bring us pleasure and profit. When he tempted Adam and Eve he promised, “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). This was the bait. So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes (pleasure), and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise (profit), she took the fruit and gave some to her husband. (Gen.3:6) They took the bait and swallowed the hook. Soon pleasure was followed by shame, wrath and punishment and profit turned out to be immeasurable loss. They had traded a piece of fruit for paradise. Since his method was so successful, Satan still uses it today. – What is God’s remedy? How does He protect His children from seeking pleasure in the bait and swallowing the hook?

God reveals the true nature of sin to us, that it is very deceitful and powerful. Sin is like Delilah; on the outside smiling at us, on the inside deceiving and betraying. It produces good feelings and promises all kinds of benefits (pleasure and profit). As soon as we have taken the bait, sin starts to control and destroy us (loss). We often underestimate the bewitching power of sin. Though Pharaoh had already learned that God is all powerful, he still kept Israel from leaving his country and continued to harden his heart. He should have known in advance that this will lead to stronger punishment and further loss, but he still did it. He couldn’t stop and he didn’t want to stop. It’s an even greater tragedy when a Christian knows that his sin will lead to pain, shame and loss, in his own life and marriage or in his ministry and church, and still continues without seeking help from the Lord and his brothers or sisters. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13).

God also warns us that sin is infectious. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (1 Cor 5:6).  Considering this truth greatly helps us to reject the bait of wrong teaching. When Satan presents the bait, we can be sure it looks attractive to the mind. It seems to be plausible and fits in with general human thinking. Pay attention to God’s warning. Sin is infectious! This is true of every sin, but in particular with regard to wrong teaching and secular world views. When we allow these to infiltrate our lives, our churches or our ministry, they will spread, poison and destroy them.

Abstain from every form of evil. After helping us to understand the nature of sin, God tells us to hate it in every form and to keep a distance as great as possible between us and sin. This is what Joseph did in Potiphar’s home (Gen 39:12). He kept his distance from sin and withstood the temptation. David drew near, played with the bait and swallowed the hook (2 Sam 11:2ff). Abstain from every form of evil, no matter how much pleasure and profit it promises. Abstain from evil with all your mind, will and heart! Abstain from it in God’s strength!