November 8                                   Ps 106 - 108

BAITS AND TRAPS

MEMORISE: 'For the forward is abomination to the LORD; But his secret is with the righteous.' (Prov 3:32)
READ: Esther 5:4-5

Queen Esther was welcomed into the presence of the king and thereafter she invited him and Haman, the number one enemy of the Jews, to a banquet she had prepared. We want to learn a few lessons from this action. The first and biggest lesson here is that you are never as wise as the one who sets a trap or lays an ambush for you. Haman thought he was going to a banquet. Little did he know he was being fattened for the slaughter? He happily walked right into the trap.

In the Lord's prayer, Jesus taught us to pray: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" ' (Matt 6:13). This prayer is necessary because the enemy set bait in hidden traps just to ensnare unsuspecting victims. As human beings, we are limited because we may not know what is ahead of us. But our God is in the heavens and he sees everything that is going on, both in secret and in the open. If we have a good relationship with him, he will ensure that we are not trapped by such snares. Sometimes, he may even reveal the plans of our enemies to us. Forewarned is forearmed.

In 2 Kings 6:8-13, the king of Syria fought against Israel. He met with some of his counselors and they agreed on where they would set up camp against the children of Israel. Elisha, the prophet of God, was shown their plan so he quickly sent a message to the king of Israel to avoid the location where the Syrians were lying in wait for them. In the process, the nation was saved more than twice. After several futile attempts, a frustrated Syrian king confronted his servants, asking who had been going secretly behind his back to leak his secrets to the Israeli king.

That was when one of his servants told him it was Elisha, the prophet in Israel. As you draw close to God and you become his friend, he will not only reveal secret plans to you and your family, but even show you things that will affect your community, nation and the world at large. Are you ready to pay the price?

ACTION POINT
Open your eyes to see where satanic baits are hidden so that you can avoid them; Ask God to reveal the plans of your enemies to you in good time.