The Trap of Compromise
We are not ignorant of his devices.
- 2 Corinthians 2:11
When I was a kid, I collected snakes. I don't know why, but I thought snakes were very cool. It was my goal in life to become a herpetologist. I read up on snakes and owned a number of them.
My mom, who was very tolerant of my hobby, took me to the pet store one day to pick up a new snake. We put it in the trunk of the car in a little box, but by the time we got home, the box was empty. The snake was gone.
My mom said, "I am never driving my car again."
But a situation arose in which she had to drive. As she was waiting at a traffic light, she felt a cold coil drop onto her ankle. She thought the missing snake was making a reappearance. So she opened the car door and jumped out, screaming at the top of her lungs. A police officer happened to be there and asked what was wrong. She told him that a snake was in her car. He went over to investigate, and as it turned out, the "snake" she felt actually was a hose that had come loose and fell down onto her leg.
We never found the snake. There had been just a little opening in that box, and it escaped. The Devil is like that snake. When you give him a small opening in your life, watch out. You may think, I'll just compromise a little bit here. . . . I'll just lower my guard a little bit there. I can handle it. This is no problem. But the next thing you know, the Devil has sunk his fangs into y