Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind. They continually set traps to catch people. [Jeremiah 5:26 (NLT)]
If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. [Proverbs 1:17 (NLT)]
When I was a little girl, although I was allowed to roam freely throughout much of my residential neighborhood, I was not permitted to go as far as the business section several blocks west. I had some playmates, however, who were allowed more freedom. One day, in defiance of my mother, I walked to the grocery store with them. Once there, they dared me to steal a candy bar, something they apparently did frequently and successfully. As young as I was, I knew shop-lifting was wrong but the chocolate bar looked so delicious that I took the bait. Even though I saw the trap being set, I stepped right into it and stole the candy! On the walk back down our street, I ate the chocolate and, as I recall, it didn’t taste nearly as good as I thought it would. When I returned home, guilt-ridden and ashamed, I told my mother what I had done. She marched me right back to that store where I paid for the stolen candy bar with my weekly allowance.
I certainly wasn’t any smarter than a little bird. When it sees the trap being set, the bird knows not to get trapped but I certainly didn’t! Unfamiliar with Solomon’s wise advice in Proverbs, I stepped right into the trap of sin. I was just a child then; I’m an adult and should know better now!
With the Holy Spirit guiding us, we should be able to spot those situations just waiting to ensnare us. When we hear that voice in our head saying, “I really shouldn’t…”, we really shouldn’t! We also need to avoid the trap setters—those people that may entice us into doing something we know is wrong. We can’t hang around with people who lie, use drugs, party, cheat, gossip, or steal and not expect our lives to be unaffected. Immorality, corruption, and irresponsible behavior have a way of rubbing off on everyone around it. We all know our individual weaknesses and temptations, we all know what specific bait the enemy uses for us, and we all should be smarter than a little bird.
Devotions of the Heart 