The other day I found myself headed into a trap. A trap that many of us do not discern. I had a situation come up concerning something that I posted that was biblical and yet through a comment of a sister that I dearly love, we started to fall into a disagreement. It was during that time the Lord said to me, “be watchful, you need to discern the enemy in this.”

2 Corinthians 2:11, “…lest Satan should get an advantage of us, we are not ignorant of his devices.”

The context in this passage was about forgiveness which we definitely should take note of but I would like us to examine the word “devices.” In English, it means a cunning plan or a trick that seems applicable to this particular verse of scripture. However, the word “devices” in Greek actually means the mind, the mental perception, an evil purpose, that which thinks. So our takeaway from this is Satan is cunning, and he will plant a seed thought in your mind to cause you to be deceived so that you will sin against yourself, God, and other people. Just when you think you are in the right, in reality, you are in the wrong in God’s sight. This is Satan’s trap! And in this particular situation, if I had given into the thoughts that he planted, which included my opinions of what I deemed right, not only would I have fallen into that deception and sinned, but I also would have sinned against my sister and that, before the world.

My sister ended up deleting her comment and messaged me, as I was also going to message her. From there, we agreed with joy that we kicked devil butt and rubbed his nose in our victory because of our obedience to love one another as Yeshua has commanded. To God be the glory! This right here is the maturity of the saints. Those who can arrest themselves in obedience to God’s word, and humble themselves to Yeshua’s commandment to love one another. I was so proud of us and thankful to the Lord!

While my situation may seem like a small issue, we must remember that it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine. Satan uses a little here and a little there and builds upon it till we are in total defeat! A little leaven leaven’s a whole lump! As we can see lately, many of us in the Body have given into his trap that has caused division, deception, and ultimately defeat! He wants to usurp our position in Christ and our authority to make us ineffective. Is Christ divided? No! He even abolished the wall between Jews and Gentiles through His death making us One New Man. So why are we allowing Satan to ensnare and deceive us, thus building a dividing wall that was already torn down through His flesh! Lord help us!

In all things brothers and sisters we must discern and know when to be still, and when to open our mouths. Whether it’s on a social platform, in a group setting, or one on one, we need to remember that Satan is out to divide the Body of Christ and render us ineffective. He wants to steal our witness and God’s glory! Remember what James 3:6 says, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

Our priority in this life is to be His ambassadors first. We represent Him, not our own opinions or agendas. Am I saying we can’t have our own opinions? Not at all. What I am saying, is whether by word or deed, our job is to give Him glory so that means our opinions must be submitted to the Lordship of our Savior first. We must question do these opinions or even doctrines line up with the mind of Christ?

If we keep love in mind which includes preferring one another above our own selves, we can’t go wrong. Don’t let the enemy entrap you! The world is watching and so is the Lord. Remember, Jesus was a stumbling block, the rock of offense to some, while also at other times, He didn’t open up His mouth! May we discern when to speak, and act, all for the glory of God!

In the words of David, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing…” Psalm 141:3-4

Let us love one another as Yeshua Jesus has loved us! This is the maturity that we should all strive for. Until next time,

Shalom, hugs, and blessings to you my friends! Drop me a comment, I would love to hear from you!

Ellen (Brucha)