I read about how people in North Africa catch monkeys. A hunter hollows out a gourd and makes a hole in its side just large enough for a monkey to insert his open hand. The gourd is then filled with nuts and tied to a tree.

The curious monkey is attracted by the smell of the nuts and reaches inside and grasps them. The hole in the gourd is too small, however, for the animal to withdraw his fist as long as it is tightly closed around the nuts. Because he refuses to release his prize, the unsuspecting monkey falls easy prey to his captor. Unwilling to relax his grasp, he actually traps himself.

So it is when Satan wants to entrap us. He will dangle something we desire in front of us. Once we grasp that thing, he then springs his trap. Because we refuse to let go of the thing, we are caught in our own trap and Satan can then lead us wherever he wishes.

The Apostle John said, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

Tags: bondage, snare, temptation, trap