Simply Angie Today I was reminded of an old poem I memorized in high school that taught a valuable lesson. It came to mind as I was thinking about the sneakiness of Satan and how he uses so many different enticements to draw us in.
One of my dear young friends was sharing with me a recent experience that she had that left her a bit disappointed, but wiser. She was hoping to enjoy the uplifting fellowship of some Christian young people, only to discover that their hearts weren’t as committed to pleasing the Lord as she had initially thought. We’ve been talking about the importance of choosing companions wisely and selecting friends that draw you closer to the Lord, rather than draw you away from Him. She longs to have a group of young people she can get together with to enjoy fun activities while having conversations that honor God and inspire each other to a greater commitment to Him. The natural desire for friendships, acceptance, and belonging can be a subtle tool of the Wicked One to entice young people (and older people, too) into relationships that do not benefit them in the long run. Some friendships can lead you right off the path of righteousness and can, ultimately, create a lot of heartache and destruction in your life. Of course, that’s just one example of the enticements that the Temptor uses to draw us into his trap. He has a seemingly never-ending supply of tricks and temptations to lure us in. A lure that works on one person may prove useless against another, but he never gives up. He keeps at it until he finds our weak spots. As I was thinking about that conversation and praying for that young lady this afternoon, this old poem came to my mind. I couldn’t remember all of the words from memory, but I found it again and wanted to share it with you. The Spider and The Fly "Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly, "I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high; Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, "Dear friend what can I do, "Sweet creature!" said the Spider, "you're witty and you're wise, The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den, Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly, And now dear little children, who may this story read, If you’ve been a Christian for a while, it’s very easy to think that you are too wise or too spiritual to fall for the devil’s deceits. You might occasionally find yourself rationalizing small worldly concessions that you consider yourself strong enough in the Lord to not be harmed by. I know I’ve been there. It’s those ‘little things’ that we allow or excuse in our life that often become our own stumbling blocks. That’s why God had Paul caution Timothy to “flee youthful lusts.” Flee is a very good word for all of us to remember when it comes to temptation. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ~ 2 Timothy 2:22 We are much better off fleeing and staying far away from the spider in the first place, rather than thinking we can flit around near the web and not be caught. There is rarely help for a fly caught in the spider’s web. It may struggle and strain, but the spider is quick to immobilize its prey. Fortunately for us, we are not flies. The devil weaves many webs and lays many snares for us to catch and trap us, intent on destroying us. But even if we have been foolish enough to get caught in the past, there is hope! In that same Scripture passage, Paul continued to counsel Timothy on how he could help others who have fallen prey to the devil. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. Repentance! That’s a wonderful word that Christians shy away from too much. We often complicate it and make it mean more or less than it actually means. True repentance, I believe, happens when we come to the point where we acknowledge the truth. God’s Word is truth. Jesus is the Truth. Repentance is agreeing with God and His Word - about everything! I think a lot of us spend too much time trying to get God to agree with us, or picking and choosing which part of His Word we will agree with and obey. Salvation only comes through repentance - agreeing with God about how we can be saved. There’s only One Way. Christian growth and spiritual maturity only come through repentance - agreeing with God about how we should live. When we agree with God about salvation, sin, separation, and holy living, we can recover ourselves out of the snare of the devil who has taken us captive at his will. Isn’t that wonderful news? We can be free! The hardest part is acknowledging the truth about ourselves. Our pride can be our worst enemy. If we can first humble ourselves and agree with God about our own sinful condition and our inability to save ourselves no matter how good we try to be, we are then free to accept His saving grace and forgiveness. We are then able to agree with God when He commands us to obey Him and become like Jesus. He frees us from the bondage of our sin, and we are free indeed from the hold that Satan had on us. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Are you still trapped in Satan’s web of lies, bondage, and despair? You can be freed. Are you a Christian, flying near the spider’s web, thinking you won’t get entangled? I hope you’ll take the warning of this poem to heart and flee while you are able. Blessings, Talk to you again soon. Can’t wait?
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Sunday, January 7, 2024
"Will You Walk Into My Parlour?"
