It’s a Trap!

Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.

Proverbs 29:25 (NLT)

There is a famous line from the Star Wars franchise of movies which has been repeated many times within popular culture over the past several decades. The line was “It’s a trap!” and was uttered by a character named Admiral Ackbar of the Rebel Alliance. The short form of the story is that the rebel star fleet were going in to attack a massive space station of the evil empire. They thought that the space station, called the “Deathstar” was vulnerable to attack. However, the empire had laid a trap for the rebel fleet. It wasn’t until all of the fleet of rebel craft were in position that they realized that their intelligence, their intellect, was incorrect. The Deathstar was ready for them, and it appeared they were going to be absolutely destroyed.

Unlike the movie, which of course turned the tide against the empire, and the rebels were ultimately victorious (Sorry, spoiler! But, to be fair, you’ve had over 30 years to watch the movie), we face a real enemy who is constantly seeking out opportunities to destroy each and every one of us. In fact, he, and his minions, absolutely hate humanity. And, the really scary part? They are supernatural. Their intellect, their powers, are absolutely superior to those of humans. In fact, we can’t hurt them or kill them. The fight is distinctly unfair, and in their advantage in every way possible.

One of the greatest ploys Satan employs is to trap us into thinking that we as humans stand a chance against such a superior adversary. Of course, there are dozens (hundreds?) of movies, novels, TV shows, etc. which depict humans not only battling Satan and his demons, but somehow defeating them. In reality, this is an impossibility. Only a superior supernatural force can defeat another supernatural force. And, the most superior supernatural force? Jesus Christ. King of the Universe. Savior of the World. The risen Lord. The defeater of Satan.

Family, don’t fall into Satan’s trap. Instead, follow the advice which King Solomon gives us in our verse today, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.” We must put our full trust in the Lord to fight our battles, secure our eternity, and rescue us from the clutches of the enemy.