Would you believe we have another mouse in the house?? In all these years we’ve lived in our home in the forest we’ve never had any problems with mice in the house … until just recently. This is the second one in just a few months.
There was evidence of the mouse’s raucous partying all underneath my kitchen sink.
It partied all across the pantry counter, where I store the flour and sugar.
There was even partying evidence on my kitchen counter behind my cutting boards! The nerve!
Hubby set two mouse traps! One underneath my kitchen sink where substantial partying had occurred. And the second trap at the base of the garbage can.
We went to bed, fully expecting the raucous partying to be put to an end while we slept.
I woke up this morning and came into the kitchen to check on the mouse traps. The mouse trap at the base of the garbage can was gone. Completely gone! It had totally disappeared.
Where on earth did it go?!? I checked the pantry … no mouse trap. I looked all throughout the kitchen … the entry by the front door … the dining room … no mouse trap. What kind of a creature is running amuck in my house?!?
On the floor at the base of the garbage can were the tattered remains of a chewed tissue. But no mouse trap. I was mystified!
The trap had obviously gone off, probably catching the mouse’s tail … and the mouse had probably scurried away, dragging the trap along with it. I redoubled my search efforts … and lo and behold! … there was the missing trap! In the furthest back recesses of the pantry, upside down among garden boots and a toilet plunger.
Was the mouse still caught in the trap?? I didn’t have bravery to pick up the trap to see. I waited to let hubby be the brave one.
The trap was empty. Bummer! Obviously the mouse had had quite the struggle to get loose, because the trap was totally mangled.
Hubby re-baited the trap and placed it in the spot where we found it, way back in the furthest corner of the pantry.
Now the question is: Is the mouse smart enough to recognize and avoid the danger … based on what happened the last time? Or will the mouse fall for the bait??
This right here is what Satan does with each one of us! Spiritually speaking, Satan baits a “trap” for each of us with a sinful treat which we find most tempting.
For each one of us the tempting sinful treat will be different.
The question is: Will we be smart enough to recognize and avoid the danger?? Or will we fall for the bait?
Sometimes we fall for the bait … but instead of Satan’s “trap” catching us completely and causing utter, complete ruin of our life, it only catches our tail. Yikes! We go scurrying … trying to get away from the consequences of “nibbling on that tempting sin” … with the “trap” dragging behind us!
We scurry until the “trap” gets wedged up against other obstacles in life (such as the garden boots and toilet plunger). We’re trying to get away … but we can’t escape because the “trap” of Satan is hanging onto us! So we struggle! We struggle … and struggle to get loose! (Maybe it’s a struggle to get free from an addiction, maybe it’s a struggle to get free from a bad, destructive habit, etc. etc. …)
Finally … we get loose!
But … Satan is re-baiting and re-setting the trap!
The question is: Will we be smart enough to recognize and avoid the danger … based on what happened last time?? Or will we fall for the bait??
Satan places the “baited trap” right there in our vicinity, just like hubby placed the re-baited, re-set trap right there in the far back recesses of the pantry. Obviously, that is right in the vicinity where the mouse is hanging out.
Hubby and I won’t give up until the mouse is caught. A mouse is not allowed in my house! We will keep re-baiting and re-setting the trap.
So also, Satan doesn’t give up. Satan will keep re-baiting and re-setting his “trap of sin” … placing it right in front of us where it will be the most tempting.
The entire forest is out there for the mouse to live in. The mouse can have the entire forest to run and scamper and explore and gather food. My house is not where the mouse should be.
When it comes to our spiritual life, God has given us the “entire forest” (so to speak) for us to have lots of freedom! Sin is not where we should be. There are sinful places where we should not be.
When we venture into those sinful places, we are just like the mouse who ventured into my house. When we venture into those sinful places, we will encounter Satan’s “traps” at every turn! Baited and ready to destroy us! Not just one “trap” … but lots!
If you find yourself currently in a sinful place where you don’t belong … and you are constantly encountering “baited traps” at every turn, God can help you get out of that place! God can help you escape from the sinful place where you don’t belong.
Just like opening the door to my house for the mouse to escape, so also God will provide a way for you to escape from the sinful place you have wandered into. Ask God for help! Ask God to open the door so that you can escape and get out of that sinful place where you don’t belong. Ask God for wisdom to recognize the “traps.” Ask God for strength to avoid the “traps.”
God will help you!
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way of escape so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” – 1 Peter 5:8
