The worst crime we had to deal with in Romania was pickpocketing. There did not seem to be much violent crime in Romania, at least not in the big cities. But pickpocketing was widely practiced, especially on public transportation where people might stand very close to one another.
The key to picking a pocket is to know where the wallet or other valuables are kept. It is not uncommon for an experienced pickpocket to do his work in a place like a train station where a sign clearly says, “Beware of Pickpocketing.” The reason this is advantageous is because he can watch people as they go by who invariably reach for their wallet to make sure it is still there. Then the pickpocket knows where to reach!
Satan watches us to see where and how he can strike us. It is my opinion that Satan does not know us individually until, as we grow and mature, he throws everything at us. Some things do not trip us up, but some things do. When we do stumble at one of his temptations, then he knows us and he attacks that same vulnerability. He uses his schemes, his enticements, his bait to lead us where he wants us to go.
A “robber baron” – a term coined in the late 19th century – was someone who became rich by being ruthless or unscrupulous. Daniel Drew was just such a “robber baron.” He became wealthy playing the stock market. But one of his tools was to hurry through a club near Wall Street, on his way to the stock exchange, when he would pull out his bandana which would cause a piece of paper to fall to the ground. He would pretend not to notice this, and the paper would share some “inside” tip. Gossip would spread, driving the price of stocks either up or down, depending on what Drew wanted to happen. People played right into his hands.
It is like a raccoon that reaches into a hole to pick up a shiny object and then can’t get his hand back out of the hole because he can’t drop the shiny object! You and I can be like that with Satan and his traps. He leads us on, step by step, continually alluring us with what he knows has worked in the past.
But, as we know the Bible, we know that Paul says we are not ignorant of Satan’s schemes (2 Cor. 2:11). We do not have to be “led around by the nose” because we have God’s Word that is sure, steadfast, stable, and dependable (Eph. 4:13-14).
We do not have to get trapped by shiny objects! Just keep your eyes open.
Paul Holland
