The Lord gave me a picture of the trap recently set for me.  It was small, barely even visible.  Looked at closely however were jagged teeth made of metal.  It was mechanical and precise in nature.  And it led to nothing short of destruction.  Like you’re walking through a pile of leaves that covers up a large pit, kind of destruction.  I was simply folding laundry when this image came to me.  Sometimes the Lord speaks to me in pictures.

I saw it being “set up.”  Hands moving slowly and methodically.  Feet stepping back to make sure it was just right.  A keen, devious eye set on the most minute of details and timed just so as if it was waiting for me.  As if he was waiting for me.  All I had to do was take my eyes off of the path and I would step right into it.  And then step into my undoing.  Had I walked a few feet forward, my whole life and everything in it would have changed.  Though this stands on the precipice of the dramatic, I can tell you with all honesty that every part of my existence would have suffered.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”  John 10:10 ESV

Did I forget about the battlefield in my mind?  My heart?  Where was my sword?  Did I drop it?  And how did my eyes become so clouded with deception that it became difficult to see?

It’s hard for me to see even now, though for different reasons.  Tears fog my vision as I try to put His faithfulness into words.  Tears of humility…repentance…gratitude.  I can’t remember when I’ve felt this grateful.

I am thankful for the prayers of the steadfast….prayers of mamas and aunts and close friends.  I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit’s tug on my heart and the strong, firm grip of my Father.

My friend, something happens when we bring our darkness into the light, or in this case Light.  The hidden is exposed and therefore loses some of its power.  Yes?  After all, darkness cannot dwell in the presence of light.

And make no mistake, the father of the darkest is at work in this world.  He roams.  He prowls.  He lies.  He waits.  And doesn’t he wait for our weakest moment?  It could be a small window of time…the hour we let our guard drop and give ourselves over to what we think we want/need.  And he’s there, ready to move in.

“Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.”  James 6:16 The Message (italics mine)

I’ll tell you now that my flesh would rather NOT.  I’d rather just come before God, given the option.  But no, He is clear in His word that confession to each other is biblical and necessary and part of this thing we call “community.”  As damn hard as it is, I believe it’s part of this war against evil.  It’s a gift from above.  And it is not for our punishment, but for our freedom.  Isn’t this the whole reason Jesus came?  For our freedom.

There’s more good news for us….every temptation has a way out.  Yes, we might have to run the other way, as fast as our faith legs will carry us.  We might have to push through brambles and thorns and we may come out on the other side a little scratched, bruised and tired.  But we will not have fallen into the trap set before us.  And by the hand of our Father, we will have escaped.  Just in time.