Feasting On Worms
“Take care lest your heart be deceived…” (Deuteronomy 11:16)
It was a beautiful day and quite warm for the month of April, so my husband and I decided to go fishing. We eagerly rowed the boat toward the far end of the lake, dropped anchor, and out came the can of plump, red earthworms. We baited our hooks and cast them into the water. Then, we waited quietly for some unsuspecting fish to be lured into our trap. It didn’t take long until we were reeling them in right and left. We caught 18 fish that afternoon.
Afterwards, I kept thinking about those fish and how easily they were deceived by our wiggling red worms. On the surface these worms looked like an easy catch, a free meal just handed to them on a silver platter. But inside these tasty morsels lurked a deadly fate. Some of the fish swallowed the bait — hook, line, and sinker. Others were just barely snagged through the mouth. Then there were those, much to our frustration, that escaped from the hook at the last minute. And there was one fish that fell for the bait more than once. Even after experiencing the piercing hook and being tossed back into the water, he came back for more!
It seems that many of my experiences in life have spiritual parallels, and this one spoke volumes to me. We are so much like those fish. Satan dangles his enticing worms in front of us, and we fall for them. Sometimes we swallow the whole lie. Other times we are only partially snared by his deceptions. There are moments when we escape from his clutches at the last minute. And then there are times when we keep coming back for more, even after we’ve already suffered from the results of his previous trap.
We can be lured in so easily by the cunning tactics that the enemy uses. The Bible tells us “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.” (Eph. 4:22) This is much easier said than done, isn’t it? Often, it seems that what Satan offers is better than what God offers. He is so good at camouflaging his deceptions, making them look like that which satisfies — but they are still just worms. I fall for his bait time and again in my own life. For example, I struggle with a shoe fetish. He will dangle shoes in front of me, enticing me with the lie that a new pair will make me happy. And they do… for about a day! When will I learn that my true satisfaction is found, not in shoe shopping, but in spending time in God’s Word or in sharing Christ with others?
Satan’s illusions are very powerful. He is so good at distorting the truth that we can often have trouble recognizing right from wrong. We can grow so comfortable feasting on worms that we just ignore the delicious banquet that God has prepared for us. How many worms will we eat before we discover that these tempting delights are full of danger? They deceive us, we are captured, and then we are pulled into the enemy’s clutches for destruction. How many lies will we swallow before we begin to feast on God’s truth? There are no deadly hooks in that which He offers — only wholesome, soul-satisfying food.
Those fish we caught that day were lucky — we let them go. They have another chance. Hopefully, they are wiser now. God offers us another chance. May we be wiser in recognizing the enemy’s traps. May we eat from the delectable feast that God has so graciously spread for us and swim right by those wiggling, red worms!
Deceitful desires… forever they lie,
Convincing us that they satisfy.
So strong and deceptive these constant illusions,
That they often lead to moral confusion.
We justify sin as being okay,
Or maybe permissible…at least for today.
When will we see? When will we learn?
It’s only for God that our hearts truly yearn.
How many substitutes will we embrace,
Until we find joy in our Savior’s grace?
For He alone makes our souls to fly.
Yes, Christ alone can satisfy!
