The devil is a beautiful woman.

Can you imagine being invited into a filthy living room with cracked out junkies gathered around a bag of heroin? Would you take a seat on a frayed couch next to a couple dead bodies and be ready to party?
No. 

You would gather with the beautiful people, though, and experiment with drugs. The fun crowd, the ones who make you feel accepted. A couple hits, and you’re hooked. As time goes by, everything starts to fall apart, and eventually the second scenario has morphed into the first, because that was where it was heading all along.

If evil presented itself as it truly is, we would run screaming in the opposite direction.

Sin is a better marketer than that, though. It studies its target consumer and presents itself accordingly. It’s available in all shapes and sizes, with varied shiny wrapping and alluring catch phrases custom-designed to capture your attention.

This white package with pink and purple swirls says “I love you!”, but once you open it, you find emptiness and shame and regret.

The red one with the white bow advertises “Easy Money, Respect, and a NEW CAR!“, but holds only a prison sentence and heartbreak for the whole family.

The list goes on, and the temptation will never leave us alone, so how do we stay smart and avoid the traps being laid for us?

1. Know truth. By truth, I mean God’s Word. It gives clear cut advice on what is sin and what is okay. Sin always has consequences, so even if it looks enticing, you can know that it will lead to something bad. Heartbreak avoided.

2. Surround yourself with other people who know and value truth, and who aren’t afraid to tell you when you’re being an idiot. So valuable.

3. Remember who you’re up against. Satan comes to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10) and if you are being tempted by something not of God you can bet he will try to destroy your life through it. No matter how appealing it seems, it’s not worth it. It’s never worth it.

4. Remember Who is on your side. Pray. Ask for help and protection, and then do your part. Be obedient. Walk away, and know that God has much better things in store for you.

This had been a public service announcement.

Ang