06/05/2023 - FLEE FROM SATAN’S SNARES

• 
• 
• 
• 

So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.” Genesis 34.10

One must know God’s Word in order to dodge Satan’s snares. Even to Jesus the devil suggested what to do in times of need. No doubt he will do the same to you (read Matthew, chapter 4). Hamor’s proposal would be accepted by those who don’t know the Lord yet, for what moves the lost is the opportunity to amass more and more. However, God’s servants only accept what the heavenly Father gives them. Flee from temptations in order not to suffer!

After a lengthy fast, Christ’s human nature reacted like ours, but He stayed alert and did not fall for the devil’s easy suggestion. The Word of God reports: And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry (Matthew 4.2). The Master’s response made the enemy lose the battle. The Savior said: It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4.4). Act like Jesus!

We need to know the Scriptures, in order not to fall into the temptations of the evil one. Now, if even the Master was tempted, imagine us! When he sees that we lack something, the adversary comes up with ideas that we should never accept. The devil knew who Jesus was, that is why he quoted what was written. However, the Lord showed us how to proceed, answering with the Word. Do not use your argument, but what the Bible says, which the devil does not resist (Ephesians 6.17).

Shechem’s father made the whole land available to Jacob, who had bought a piece of it for himself and his family. Hamor said: So you shall dwell with us… We cannot have fellowship or dwell with those who neither know the Lord nor serve Him. The prophet Balaam spoke about Israel and about us as well: For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations. (Numbers 23.9). What do you say?

Hamor, who was unable to raise his son, pledged his word to Jacob, saying that the land would be before the patriarch’s face. Would Jacob trade God’s promises for a little piece of land? Certainly not. Those who allow situations against God’s will to prosper remain in the devil’s hands (Proverbs 15.27). If the patriarch had been profane, accepting such an offer would have tainted the plan of salvation, for the Messiah would come from his family. Jacob would have denied the Word as Adam had done (read Genesis, chapter 3).

For the worldly man, all he cares about is how much he will gain; now, for the servant of God, he is worried about how much he will lose (Mark 8.35). We are heirs of an eternal inheritance, which will never be harmed, as Peter declared: to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Peter 1.4). Whoever exchanges his eternal reward will lament for eternity. Be steadfast in your faith so as not to suffer damage! 

The tempting proposal of Shechem’s father is always offered to those who are weak in their faith in Christ. Hamor said: Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.” Why leave your home and embark on an adventure that will lead you to eternal torment. It doesn’t matter what the devil says but what our God says. Always stay with the Lord!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares