Be Wary of Bribes that Blind

Yesterday I wrote something that’s still rumbling in my thoughts. God loved Adam & Eve so much that He didn’t shield them from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil. He placed it squarely in the center of the garden so they’d have a choice…& they chose knowledge over Him.

They didn’t make this decision on their own. They had a little help from the serpent who spun the story with a question: Did God really say…?

Then he painted a brilliant picture of the benefits that would come if they ate of the fruit. What he spoke was true-they WOULD know the difference between good & evil because for the very 1st time, humans would experience evil first hand by choosing it over their good God.

Today as I walked through the details God gave the Israelites after the Ten Commandments, one caught my eye:

Take no bribe, for a bribe makes you ignore something you clearly see.

I normally think of this as a bribe that will benefit me & hurt someone else, but sometimes?  Sometimes, I think the enemy bribes us with something so tempting that we ignore what we clearly see & hurt ourselves in the process.😬

I can think of many circumstances where I KNOW something to be true & want to walk in that Truth, but that sly devil whispers questions that casts a mist over my eyes. The benefit of walking in MY way instead of what I KNOW to be true suddenly carries away sound judgement & ushers in a decision I will later regret.

It can be something like eating sweets. You know the adverse affects it has on health & yet the thought of how yummy it’ll taste can cause you to ignore what you know for a momentary pleasure. Maybe it’s the lure of drugs, pornography, an inappropriate relationship, cheating on a test, dishonesty with taxes…

Regardless of the circumstance, the enemy is always out to steal, kill & destroy & one of his slyest ways is by offering a pleasurable bribe that blinds the clear sighted!

Father, we need blinders to keep us following You! Help us ignore the enemy’s bribes that make us blind. Our purpose is to worship You alone. Bring to mind anything that pulls us away from Truth & help us remove distractions so we may remain clear sighted with our gaze fixed on You alone!

#OneYearBible

February 5th One Year Bible Readings

EXODUS 21:22-23:13

MATTHEW 24:1-28

PSALM 29:1-11

PROVERBS 7:6-23