-October 3, 2022-
Good morning, happy Monday,
“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”
(Proverbs 29:25).
Many verses in Proverbs contrast two opposite things. Today’s verse is an example of this. We must make a choice which one to choose. On the one hand there is the fear of man and the other is the fear of God. Our flesh always gravitates toward the former, our spirit toward the latter. We get into trouble when we base our thoughts, words, and or actions on pleasing man; we are blessed when everything is based on trusting and pleasing God.
• The fear of man brings a snare – The word snare is defined as a trap for catching birds or animals, typically one having a noose of wire or cord.” A Fowler is the person who hunts wildfowl. The devil is our enemy and he tries his utmost to trap us using the world and our sinful flesh. God doesn’t want us to be trapped but to be safe. God warned the Israelites of being snared by the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. Sadly, they didn’t heed the warning: after a time they adopted their gods and eventually God took them into captivity in Assyria and Babylon.
For us as believers today we must be on guard against wrong thinking and behavior that will hinder us and ensnare us. The fear of man comes in many forms: peer pressure, and the conformity to man’s thoughts, values, ways, attitudes, and lifestyles. The fear of man is on full display on the form of political correctness. Many are paralyzed by this condition, even among Christians. While we want to be loving, sensitive, and tolerant, we can’t compromise our beliefs. We must stand on the truth and for the truth of God’s Word. We live in a very sinful, permissive society where anything goes. We as committed Christians are often called narrow-minded and intolerant. It is easy to be snared by the fear of man.
• But whoever trusts in the Lord will be safe – By trusting in the Lord we are making the right choice. In Him there is freedom from sin and the ways of man. Our perspective is completely opposite man’s perspective. When we fear God, we seek to please and obey Him, leaving the consequences to Him. It will always be a battle, but the Lord assures us of the victory.
God wants us to be victorious and safe from man’s influences. This means we must be separated from the world and set apart for the Lord. David wrote in Psalm 56:11, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” We should be God pleasers not people pleasers!
May the Lord help us to examine our own hearts, asking the question how much does the world cloud my vision of what is right and wrong, good and evil. We must base our thoughts, words, and actions on the Bible not on man’s ways. Let’s not be snared by the devil. So many today call good evil, and evil good. The world is so broken.
Have a blessed day trusting and fearing God. It will keep us from being snared. Stay safe and healthy,
Trusting and pleasing the Lord,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 