Satan's Bait

When I was a kid I used to sell fish bait. I caught minnows, crawdads, lizards and worms and sold them for a $1.00 a dozen. I learned that fishermen use different bait for different fish. The same was true with trapping. When I was a kid I would run a trap line up the creek and baited my steel traps with different kinds of bait to catch muskrats and opossums. They would see and smell the bait which enticed them to step into my trap and WHAP! They were caught. Do you know what I did? I killed them, skinned them, and sold their hides. That’s what Satan does. Satan wants to sift you like wheat and he knows just how to bait the hook. He knows just how to set the trap. He uses different bait for different people. What does he use to bait you? Gossip, anger, lust, an illicit affair, pornography, bitterness, greed, revenge, food, possessions, or love of money? It’s sort of like what advertisers do. You sit at home watching a ball game and all the sudden a Pizza Hut commercial comes on your television. The commercial is in beautiful color. Steam is rolling off of the top of the pizza. You can see the pepperoni nestled down in the cheese and it looks so delicious. Without even thinking you say, “Let’s order a pizza!” That’s the way it works. Advertisers depend on it. So does Satan. Some things are very enticing and before you know it you’ve swallowed the bait only to find a hook. A man was riding on an airplane sitting next to an attractive woman. The man propositioned her for one million dollars. She thought about it and agreed to take him up on his offer. After she agreed he said, “I’m sorry, I don’t have a million dollars. How about $10?” She said, “What kind of woman do you think I am?” He said, “That has already been establish, we are just haggling over the price. You’ve heard the statement “Everybody’s got their price.” A lot of people throw away their integrity, their family and their relationship with Jesus for a lot less than a million dollars. James 1.14 ... each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.