Don't be baited

It is important to have the right bait for fishing. If you think about it, Satan is a fisherman too, and he has bait for us in the form of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). James said, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15). This progression demonstrates the similarity between being tempted by sin and a fish being attracted to bait.

It is overwhelming at times when righteous people think of all the temptations that are faced. We fight temptation with sex and violence on television and movies, with the corrupting influence of friends, neighbors, and coworkers, with the love of wealth, and with general apathy. All of these are formidable foes.

Just because we think that we have defeated them once doesn’t mean that we have defeated them permanently. Satan is patient and he will wait for us to eventually slip up and sin. He doesn’t believe in the practice of “catch and release,” which I did a lot in my childhood. He is purposeful in his work (1 Peter 5:8), and he accuses brethren (Revelation 12:10), or makes it appear as if the saints are hypocritical, insincere, and full of evil motives and secret sins. We cannot be ignorant of his schemes or devices (2 Corinthians 2:11), or we will be drawn in and lost.

Kyle Campbell