November 8

The enemy of your soul is cunning. The enemy of your soul is as subtle as a fox stealing through the night to gain entry into the hen house. Were he open and straight-forward, you would have no delusions about his evil intent. Were he not the father of lies, he would not sugar coat sin.

People would have no difficulty in averting their gaze from the consequence of sin if the consequence were what their eyes beheld at the onset. Without the veneer of loveliness, the pain and destruction of sin would be avoided at all cost.

The story is told of a young adventurer who gazed across a placid river to behold a lovely maiden bathing. It was only as his eyes focused more clearly that he realized she was a leper! That is the reality of sin. From a distance, it appears alluring but once it is held close, once it has been embraced to the bosom, its hideousness is clearly discernable.

But by the time sin’s awful side is recognized, the devil’s dupe has found himself to be his prey! He has inadvertently stumbled into the lair of wickedness where he is the one whom the enemy, “…like a roaring lion is seeking to devour” I Peter 5:8. Indeed, without repentance, sin will swallow you up. Sin always seeks to destroy the one who embraces it.