1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
We have seen the fall decorations in the stores since before the 4th of July holiday which is way too early to suit me. We have seen the special candy in the stores as people are already preparing for when the kids come to your door dressed up in their favorite costume character and shout “trick or treat” in hopes that you will give them a bucket full of sweet treats.
As a former preschool teacher, it was a fun day for us in our classroom. The kids looked forward to a party with all of the fall fun activities. As a matter of fact, we had a Fall Fun Day, and while we didn’t acknowledge the “Halloween” aspect of the season, the children were allowed to dress in their favorite character for a Costume Party, but only something fun and nothing scary. I would always share a Bible story with them to coincide with something that they could associate with a particular time of year. They always enjoyed this one about “Trick or Treat” and so I thought I would share the highlights with you.
Satan is a deceiver and he has a big bag full of tricks to try to entice you to live the way in which he wants you to live. He makes things look so appealing to young people (and old people, who should know better). That alcoholic drink looks so refreshing and those people who are drinking it look like they are having so much fun. But those are just tricks! What is fun about not remembering what you have done or where you have been after too many of those drinks? What is fun about waking up the next morning with your head over the toilet vomiting and feeling sick? What is fun about driving down the road in a vehicle and taking the chance of killing innocent people because of your “fun?” None of that seems fun to me.
Now I could go on and on about some of the things that Satan will use as deceptive means to attract people, young and old alike, to succumb to temptation and do something that could change their lives forever. And the change would not be for the good. However, I only have a small amount of space, but I think you get the picture. Sometimes, you may give in to something and the pleasure will only last for a few minutes or a few seconds, but it could have an everlasting result upon your life and your testimony. Avoid those tricks!
The Lord Jesus Christ is the sweet “treat” of this picture. He gave his life for our sins so that we could live forever with Him. The Heavenly Father knew that we would have a need for a Savior because we were born with sin in our life. He knew that there would be times that we would give in to some of those temptations, but that because of the sacrifice of His Son, we could be forgiven of those sins. Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. We are grateful for His grace and His love that has been extended to us and it is all there for the asking. What a treat!
So, when you see and hear the phrase “trick or treat” in the coming weeks, I hope you will be aware of the tricks that Satan will try to use to lure you into his snare and avoid those tricks. I also hope that you will be grateful for the blessing of grace, love, forgiveness, mercy and everything that has been extended to us from our loving Lord and Savior. What a treat! Feast on those treats!
