July 29
A Subtle Snare
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25 (NKJV)
Snares are effective because they’re subtle. An animal—maybe a deer or a hawk—unsuspectingly steps into a noose or some other trap and is rendered helpless. It’s not a skilled shot that takes them down. In essence, they take themselves out because they’re simply unaware of the danger they’re walking into.
God doesn’t want that to happen to any of us, which is why He warns us “point blank” here in Proverbs 29:25 about a certain snare. It’s a snare that’s very serious because it’s so subtle. The snare He speaks of is the fear of man.
The word here for “fear” literally means to tremble and to quake. It’s an emotional response and has a palpable impact on our entire being. Fear like this preoccupies us and we can easily become bound by it. The Bible says when we fear our fellow man like this, the rest of our lives are influenced by it, and it’s a snare to our soul.
Preoccupation with what other people think or what they might do to us enslaves us. We’ll make decisions and choices that we know are wrong, but we’ll make them anyway because we’re more worried about what another human being expects from us. It’s subtle, but it’s a snare we can’t afford to walk into.
Here’s how we avoid it: by trusting in God. We decide that instead of focusing on man we put our focus on the Lord. We fill our heart and mind with what the Bible tells us. We remind ourselves of God’s track record and of how faithful and worthy of trust He is. The more we do that, the more we trust Him. The more we trust Him, the less we fear man. And the less we fear man, the further we are from the subtle snare of fearing man.
Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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