Satan's Gone Fishing - Don't Take the Bait!

I grew up fishing with my Dad. He knew just where to fish, what bait to use and the right lure to use if the live bait didn't work.  If the lure or bait wasn't drawing them in, he had a "magic" spray that made them smell enticing to the fish once they took the hook, he knew exactly how to work the line and reel them in.

Me? I always felt a little sorry for the fish. I mean, there they were, swimming along, minding their own business when suddenly something catches their eye. It's shiny, it's moving seductively, it even smells good in a wormy kind of way.

What's the fish expecting? A yummy treat that's going to be so satisfying. A distraction that makes swimming around in the same old boring lake seem fun and exciting. Maybe he's dreaming of how he's going to brag to the "guys" about how good it was. He might even recommend that his buddies give it a try.

What did the fish get? A sharp pain, dragged out of his place of comfort, away from his fishy family. Finally, he was pulled to destruction and finally to his death.

Are you getting the connection?

Satan loves to go fishing. He also knows just where to fish - usually among those who are dissatisfied or bored with the status quo of their life.  He suspects that they're hungry for something new, that they're vulnerable to just the right bait.  

The devil has a tackle box full of lures and magic sprays. He will try everything in his arsenal until he finds what works with you, and when he does, and when you bite, he'll reel you in so fast it will make your little fishy head spin.

Saying yes to his bait will cost you - sometimes your job, friendships, marriage, reputation, money...make no mistake...he will drag you further and further away from happiness until destruction surrounds you and if possible, he will seek to take your life.

How to keep from falling for Satan's bait:

• Read God's word to stay spiritually strong
• Be aware of the Devil's schemes and on guard against them
• Pray to be kept from temptation
• Pray for insight and wisdom
• If it looks good - BE CAREFUL!

What to do if you're already on the hook and headed fast toward the shore of destruction:

• Admit and renounce your sin
• Ask God to forgive you
• Admit your sin to a Pastor or a strong and trusted Christian friend- ask them to pray for you
• Make yourself accountable to someone
• Make amends with those you've hurt

God has the power to take you off the hook and restore your life. Oh, you might have a sore mouth for a while. Sin always hurts and might even leave a scar. Sin has consequences, but God will strengthen you to face them.

Final advice - stay away from flashy things that distract and tempt you to stray from what you know is safe and right.  

Don't take the bait!

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People are not fish and we don't bait them.

photo used by permission johnnyberg on rgbstock.com

I recently read a short article on evangelism that began like this...

If you want to be a successful fisherman, you don't look for the most comfortable spot on the lake. Instead, you go to where the fish are, and you make it as easy and attractive as possible for the fish to swallow your hook.

Since we are called to be "fishers of men," I get the fishing analogy and I agree with not just looking for a place that's comfortable.  Sometimes we have to go into the dark and uncomfortable situations in order to share Christ's gospel with those who don't know him.

They lost me, however when they suggest that we make it "as easy and attractive as possible for the fish to swallow the hook." First, I don't like thinking of people as fish to be baited, then hooked and second, I'm not sure that we should make it as easy and attractive as possible for people to receive Christ.  I don't see that in the Bible..not from Jesus and not from the disciples.  They didn't water down the message just to make it attractive.

In fact, Jesus was often so forthright with the cost of following him that many people turned away and I don't read anywhere that he chased after them trying to make the gospel more palatable.

I'm not saying that we need to be rude or pushy.  We don't need to make it difficult to understand what it means to follow Christ.  But we do owe it to people to respect them enough to help them make a fully informed decision to follow Jesus.  Too many churches and Christians mislead people by telling them that once they accept Jesus as Lord, their lives will be just hunky-dory.  When trouble hits, and it always hits, new believers think that God should jump right in and fix everything for them.

He never promised that.  Truth is, Jesus said "...in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, because I have overcome the world."  (John 16:33)

He also warned people to count the cost of following him in Luke 14:25-33.


So, let's be careful to do what it says in 2 Timothy 2:15..."Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."


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