Escaping the Trap

"Blue Bird" - Joseph De Camp, c. 1919

Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:25, 26

Dr. James MacDonald of Walk in the Word ministries tells about a bird who had mistakenly flown inside his house, now trapped by fear and in danger of hurting itself because of its new environment. The only way to save the bird and keep it from hurting itself was to capture it. It was the only way to give it true freedom. He goes on to say:
" Little did it realize that secure in my hands it was better off than thrashing around the room. As quickly as I could, I got to the front door, launched the bird in the air, and it flew away. Sometimes we feel like the worst thing that could happen to us is to be confined in God’s hands. The Bible often presents us with choices that will form boundaries around our lives. Too often we fly from this protection, banging into windows and walls, looking for escape. If we submit to God’s Word, we fear we’ll lose our autonomy or worse, our freedom-all the while killing ourselves in our frantic independence.”

When Satan entraps us we are deceived and blinded. We are fearful of losing our autonomy, our freedom, and our free will. But if we are honest with God and ourselves, the reality is we have already lost it. Only God can expose truth to us and put us on the correct path. God, in his love, exercises His sovereignty, His dominion, His power. Real freedom and liberty comes when we surrender. That's when He delivers us from the snare, the trap of the enemy.