The wicked have set a snare for me,When David says the wicked have been setting a snare for him, it's likely he's thinking of actual physical snares. During several parts of his life he had people trying to chase him down and kill him.
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
Psalm 119:110
The wicked still set snares for God's people in 21st century America, but they're generally a different kind. The discipline that will protect us is still the same.
Every day on Facebook and Twitter I see posts trying to pull me in to a snare of hate. Sometimes it's posts paid for by advertisers, inviting me to like or comment on their snappy insults aimed at opposing politicians or points of view. Often it's the same sort of snare set by people on my friends' list. They're enticing me to join them in liking or sharing the latest rude meme. And if I don't like what they're sharing, Satan is right there with another snare, inviting me to respond with unkindness and hate of my own.
But I do not stray from God's precepts to love both my neighbor and my enemy.
Every day on the job, at the market, at the bank, and in my social circles the American Dream is a snare, trying to divert me from the goal of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7-14). The lure of the corporate ladder and the social ladder is always there. The desire for profitable investments and luxurious expenditures reach out to capture my heart.
But I do not stray from God's precepts to serve only one master.
Every day the world puts temptation in front of me. There's a screen on every desk, every wall, in every pocket filled with images designed to ensnare my lusts. What fun, what flesh, what entertainment, what recreation today's world dangles in front of me like a noose.
But I do not stray from God's precepts to wear the full armor of God.
Keeping my mind on the Word keeps my mind on the path that leads me to God.
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