Satan's Devices Pt. 1 - Fishing & Painting (aka "Deception")

If you've ever been fishing, you've practiced the art of deception.  Don't get me wrong, I don't believe the Lord holds this against us, but it's a great parallel to how Satan works.  Fish enjoy all different kinds of bait, whether it's worms, grubs, or whatever.  Many fishermen even use lures to "lure" and deceive the fish into thinking it's real food.  It's pleasing to their eyes. It looks good on the outside, and when they decide to go after it, they quickly find that there's a hook underneath that has captured them.  Satan is the greatest fishermen in the world.  He knows perfectly how to present the bait and hide the hook.

He does the same with us.  When he tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, his bait was this, "You won't die if you eat of that tree.  In fact, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods yourself, knowing good and evil."  His bait perfectly hid the hook that was only discovered once they bit into the fruit.  The shame they experienced, God's curses that came upon them, and the great loss that followed proves that they had been captured by the great deceiver.

Satan even baited the hook when He tempted Jesus.  "Look at all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor!  You can have it all Jesus, if you bow down and worship me."  Jesus didn't budge.

Satan's not only a great fishermen, but he's a talented painter.  What he does is he uses all different shades and colors to paint over the ugliness of sin, to get us to stare at it and pursue after it a little longer than we should.  The problem with his paint is that no matter how he beautifies sin, underneath it's just as ugly and filthy as ever.  A poisonous pill is never less poisonous if it's made to look like headache medicine.  It will still kill you if you swallow it.