Bait Shop Wall 1 – How We Get Hooked
I live in Michigan in the middle of a bunch of lakes and ponds. I would guess that in an hour you could be at over one hundred fishing holes. Now, I do not fish. I never have enjoyed it at all. But, I do have some friends who fish and my stepfather used to fish when I was a kid, so I know you need a few things. Sometimes you dig worms for bait and sometimes you go pick them up at the bait store.
I’ve been in some bait stores around here and in Texas. On those bait store walls there are pictures of a smiling person and their catch. Sometimes there are even fish that have been caught, gutted and stuffed. I’m sure those fish did not wake up that morning thinking today is the day I end up on the bait shop wall. Yet, there they are on display for everyone to see. When they saw that bait, they didn’t stop and wonder if there was a hook hidden inside of it. Instead, they just could not resist that sweet bait that was there in front of them.
Before we get all judgmental about the choices those fish have made, we need to stop and look in the mirror. The fastest way to end up on the bait shop wall is to think you will not ever end up on that wall. I think to begin, to keep ourselves off that wall, we need to remember four things.
Temptations Will Lure Us All
The brother of Jesus wrote in his letter to the early Christians some thoughts on temptation. James 1:12 he writes “When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy. After they have proved their faith, God will reward them with life forever. God promised this to all those who love him.” James does not use the word “if”, he says “when” we are tempted.
As soon as we think that we are above being tempted, we begin to swim in some really dangerous waters. I am amazed when people talk about not seeing a temptation that hooked them. When we are so arrogant that we believe no hook can get us, is when we find ourselves being dragged into a boat. So we need to remember that in any water there is a hook that might just have your name on it. So the thing to remember that first way to escape a hook is to know that there is one out there for each of us.
God Does Not Bait Our Hooks
God gets blamed for a lot of things in our lives. Many times I’ve heard the verse that says God will not give us more than we can handle. Though that may be true at struggles or hard times, I think we need to always remember that God will not tempt us with sin or bad choices. James continues in his letter and says…“When people are tempted, they should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone.” We need to wrap our heads around the fact that God is pulling for us, not against us. He will not set us up to be hooked or to fail. He wants us to swim freely, not to be a trophy on the bait shop wall.
How the Bait & Hook Works
James lays out the steps we take when it comes to being tempted. He writes in James 1:14 – 15 “But people are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them. This desire leads to sin, and then the sin grows and brings death.” Let’s take a look at this from the fish’s perspective to figure out what happens to people. The fish is swimming along just enjoying the cool water and out of the corner of his eye he sees a worm or some bait. It catches his eye and all he can think about is how good it is going to taste. The fish doesn’t just swim over and take the hook. Many times it will just nibble a little to see if it likes what is there. You see, he gets caught because he thinks I’ll just have a taste and then cannot resist the temptation to eat the whole worm.
The fish bites and the fisherman plants the hook and it is all over except for the struggle. There will be a fight to get the fish in the boat and most times the fish is caught. It all starts with just a look many times. Something shiny catches an eye and the battle is on. Even if the fish breaks the line, he takes the hook with him. It will be there from now on as a reminder of the day the hook got took. Sin begins as just a thing that tempts us until it leads us to the bait shop wall.
If We Listen to God’s Word, we can Spit the Hook
As a kid, we used to memorize verses from the Bible. It used to get us rewards at church and an “atta boy” at home. Little did I realize that those verses were many the key to me avoiding sin and resisting temptations. James ends his writings about temptation with these words: “My dear brothers and sisters, do not be fooled about this. Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows. God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made.”
The words of the Bible have been helping and giving life to people ever since they were written, and people have been using them to grow in their faith. Even as an adult there are times that those verses I learned as a kid come back to haunt, oh I mean help, me when I have to make a decision for right or wrong. Always remember that the Bible will guide us and help us fight through the temptations that will be in our way each day.
We are going to spend the next weeks talking about different temptations that come our way. Before we go though, I was thinking there might be a good verse to memorize. “I have taken your words to heart so I would not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11 (NCV) I memorized it a long time ago to remind myself that the Bible can help me each and every day.