                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

            The Snare Is Broken: Escape From All Satanic Traps!

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By David Wilkerson
December 11, 1995
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          Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to
          their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the
          snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are
          escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made
          heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:6-8).

          In Psalm 124 we read of fowlers and their snares.
          You've heard of fowlers. They were professional
          bird-catchers in the days before firearms. They
          captured birds by spreading a net on the ground and
          attaching it to a springed trap or snare.

          The fowler would sprinkle some corn on the ground near
          the trap he set. Then, when the bird ate the corn, the
          trap would spring and a net would fly over the bird and
          capture it.

          Often in biblical days, a fowler would sew a captured
          bird's eyelids together and keep it caged. That way its
          cries would attract large numbers of birds. The sound
          of the bird's despair would pique other birds'
          curiosity, and when they came to investigate, they also
          would be snared.

          Fowlers made their income from the captured birds in
          various ways. Some sold birds to people who wanted them
          as pets. Others sold them for use as sacrifices,
          especially doves and pigeons. Still other fowlers sold
          smaller birds to the poorer classes, who used them for
          food. In this case, the birds were devoured.

          Various passages throughout the Bible liken our soul to
          a bird: "Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare
          of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are
          escaped" (Psalm 124:7). "Mine heritage is unto me as a
          speckled bird..." (Jeremiah 12:9).

                      -------------------------------

                          According to the Bible,
                     the Fowler Is the Devil Himself!

                      -------------------------------

          Satan is absolutely determined to overthrow every
          believer who walks in holiness and complete devotion to
          Jesus Christ. Indeed, the devil knows where you live
          and work - every path you take, every footstep. And he
          follows all your goings and your comings.

          Please understand - Satan is not omnipresent. He cannot
          be everywhere at once. Nor does he know all things;
          otherwise he would be God. But he does have at his
          command multitudes of demonic beings, principalities
          and powers of darkness. And these evil workers trail
          you. They go about like fowlers, laying traps to
          ensnare you - hidden, crafty, diabolical traps!

          The psalmist writes:

             * "Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
               preserve me from the violent man; who have
               purposed to overthrow my goings. The proud have
               hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a
               net by the wayside..." (Psalm 140:4-5).

             * "...In the way wherein I walked have they privily
               [secretly] laid a snare for me" (142:3).

             * "The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred
               not from thy precepts" (119:110).

          The Bible makes it clear: Demonic powers are at work
          laying traps for Christians!

          Yet Satan doesn't limit his fowler's work to evil
          principalities. He also uses wicked people to lay
          demonic traps: "The wicked have laid a snare for me..."
          (Psalm 119:110).

          It's true - Satan has an army of some of the most
          crafty, skilled fowlers on earth. He uses adulterous
          men to go about seducing innocent women. And he uses
          pushers of pornography to entice and ensnare
          generations of men with filth beyond description.

          Satan also uses fowlers on the streets pushing drugs.
          Drug cartels make fortunes - multiplied millions of
          dollars - preying upon young people and addicting
          entire societies. His hellish armies trap people into a
          life of addiction and poverty.

          Entire state governments today act as fowlers of the
          enemy. They trap millions of people into gambling!
          State agencies and municipalities use gambling games
          designed to wring money out of people hooked on
          striking it rich. As a result, America is quickly
          becoming one huge lottery. The day may be coming when a
          national lottery is instituted.

          These all are fowlers of the enemy who have come to
          destroy our society! They scheme and plot to separate
          people from their very last dollar. And the ones who
          suffer most are the poor and the children. Often those
          last dollars should have been set aside for food and
          milk money.

          Yet most tragic of all is this sad truth: Satan enlists
          spiritually blinded Christians to lay his snares for
          people of God! That's right - the devil actually uses
          believers as fowlers, bird-catchers. There are many
          hardhearted, envious Christians who eagerly scheme to
          ruin and destroy godly, righteous men and women of God.
          They delight in revenge - in trying to trap those they
          despise!

          Scripture tells us that certain of God's people schemed
          against Jeremiah: "...they have digged a pit to take
          me, and hid snares for my feet" (Jeremiah 18:22).

          It's clear in the context of this passage that Jeremiah
          was speaking of God's people: "...the men of Judah,
          and...the inhabitants of Jerusalem..." (verse 11).

          He was saying, "Some who call themselves children of
          God are out to ensnare me. They want to destroy the
          testimony God has given to me!"

          I ask you - why would anyone who calls himself a
          follower of Jesus allow himself to be used by the devil
          to trap and ensnare his brother or sister? Why would he
          spend precious time plotting to ruin or overthrow
          another Christian?

          God's Word lists two reasons for this. Let me share
          them with you:

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                       1. Envy of Other Christians'
                       Respect and Honor Among Men!

                      -------------------------------

          Some believers are jealous of the acceptance and high
          esteem another Christian receives - someone who is
          honored above them. Unfortunately, this kind of
          attitude is widespread in the church. It also
          constantly occurs in the ministry. Pastors who have no
          heart for Jesus are always gossiping and scheming
          against people whom Christ has raised up in their
          stead. They wouldn't pay the price - and now someone
          has come along who is highly honored of God!

          The book of Esther tells us that Haman basked in the
          honor bestowed upon him by King Ahasuerus. Haman was an
          advisor to the king - but he wasn't satisfied with the
          wealth and honor he gained from his position. You see,
          there was one person in the kingdom who got under
          Haman's skin - a Jew named Mordecai.

          Haman usually received humble obeisance from all the
          people. But Mordecai would neither bow to Haman nor
          stand up for him. Mordecai feared no one but God - and
          he wouldn't bow to anyone but Him.

          As a result, Mordecai had the respect and honor of the
          people. He was known as being honest and forthright, a
          man you couldn't buy. And that ate at Haman's pride. A
          rage welled up in Haman - because he saw God honoring
          someone above him!

          Scripture says Haman "...was full of indignation
          against Mordecai" (Esther 5:9). And he allowed his
          jealousy to eat him up. Here was a wealthy man, honored
          by the king, invited into the palace by Queen Esther.
          He was riding high. But none of that mattered to him.
          Instead, his thoughts were consumed with jealousy:
          "...all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see
          Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate" (verse
          13).

          Soon Haman began scheming to catch Mordecai in a snare.
          It was an incredible plot devised to destroy all the
          Jews, and in the process Mordecai. Haman was so eaten
          up with envy, he undertook to destroy an entire people
          just to get to one man!

          But in the end, Haman's jealousy cost him his life.
          When his scheme was exposed, he was hung on the gallows
          he had built for Mordecai. What a price he paid!

          The Bible's warning here is very clear: Any Christian
          who is eaten up with jealousy because of God's blessing
          and approval of another person will end up as Haman did
          - trapped in his own snare!

          "...they have digged a pit before me, into the midst
          whereof they are fallen themselves" (Psalm 57:6).

          "...his horn shall be exalted with honour. The wicked
          shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his
          teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall
          perish" (Psalm 112:9-10).

                      -------------------------------

                    2. Hatred Over Another's Holiness!

                      -------------------------------

          Some Christians can't stand being "outstripped" by
          someone who appears to be more holy or righteous than
          they. They see a brother or sister being honored of God
          - and it enrages them!

          There is great power in godliness and great authority
          in holiness. Yet both are despised by Christians who
          will not pay the price - people who once had the touch
          of God, but now, because of compromise, no longer enjoy
          His blessing. When someone comes along who is esteemed
          more holy and more devoted, they become envious of what
          they've lost. They give place to a jealous hatred - and
          they will not rest until they see that godly person
          ruined or destroyed!

          Face it, beloved: Nothing is more hated than the power
          and spiritual authority that accompany a holy life. And
          no one will be more hated, slandered, envied and
          maligned than the Christian who radiates holiness.

          Yet, if our hearts are right with God, and we see great
          devotion in a fellow believer, we will rejoice in the
          power and authority God has bestowed on him. And we
          will allow that brother's consecrated life to challenge
          and provoke us to attain a deeper walk with the Lord.

          Yet many believers refuse to let go of an evil jealousy
          in their hearts. Consider these examples:

             * I rode along in a car once with a brother who was
               going through incredible financial hardships.
               Another brother came up in our conversation,
               someone whose finances had been greatly blessed by
               God. The man in the car with me suddenly grew red
               with rage. He sputtered, "Every time I think of
               him driving that new car, owning that big home,
               enjoying all those blessings - I can't stand it.
               It burns me up! I've suffered so much. When I see
               all the things he's getting, it really gets to
               me."

          Huge veins popped out of this man's neck. His jealousy
          and rage had boiled over!

             * When Cain saw his brother, Abel, blessed and
               approved by God, a jealousy rose up in him to the
               point that he committed murder. He was envious of
               his brother's close walk with God!

          David is an example of a believing man who schemed
          against another. He laid a snare for Uriah, an officer
          in his army, after he'd gotten Uriah's wife pregnant.
          He called Uriah home from the front lines and ordered
          him to spend time with his wife. He was hoping Uriah
          would be intimate with her, and in that way cover up
          David's sin of adultery.

          But Uriah didn't go home to his wife. Instead he said,
          "How can I enjoy my wife when the army of the Lord is
          out there suffering? I'll stay here and suffer as they
          do."

          That must have been an awful rebuke to David. He then
          laid another snare for Uriah. David ordered him to come
          to a big feast at the palace, where he filled Uriah
          full of wine. David thought, "If I can just get him
          drunk, then he can be led home in a drunken stupor and
          be put to bed. That way, he'll think he got his wife
          pregnant."

          But that night Uriah slept outside his house, still
          refusing the comforts of his wife.

          Having failed again in his scheme, David plotted to
          place Uriah on the front lines in a hopeless battle,
          knowing he would be killed. And that's just what
          happened.

          David's sin in scheming against Uriah was laid to his
          charge as his most grievous sin in the eyes of God.
          "Why?" you may ask. "Didn't David also sin in
          committing adultery with Bathsheba? And doesn't the
          Bible say he sinned, showing a lack of faith, when he
          fled to the Philistines for protection from Saul?"

          Yes! Scripture also tells us David sinned in his rash
          decision to kill Nabal, until Abigail came and changed
          his mind. David sinned as well in numbering the people,
          a sin of pride and covetousness.

          David also sinned in not exercising control over his
          children. He never spoke a word against Absalom - and
          the young man rose up and usurped his father's throne.
          That sin of a father's negligence eventually cost
          David's son his life.

          There were many sins in David's life. Yet when we look
          at what God's Word says on the subject, the only sin
          mentioned is the snare David set for Uriah: "...David
          did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and
          turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him
          all the days of his life, save only in the matter of
          Uriah the Hittite" (1 Samuel 15:5).

          This verse doesn't name Bathsheba. It doesn't name any
          other of David's sins of disobedience. Rather, it says
          the one thing in which David turned aside from God was
          when he laid a trap - when he plotted against an
          innocent man!

          What an awful price David paid for his scheme against a
          fellow believer. What great troubles it brought down
          upon him and his family: His daughter was raped. His
          son Amnon was killed in a drunken stupor at the hands
          of Absalom. All Israel forsook David and flocked to
          Absalom. And his wives and concubines were defiled by
          his son, who now ruled over the kingdom.

          David was forced to walk up and down and go into hiding
          to save his own life. Worst of all, the Bible says, he
          lost the joy of his salvation: "Restore unto me the joy
          of thy salvation..." (Psalm 51:12).

          The joy of the Lord was gone from David's life.

          Beloved, God is showing us His contempt for this sin of
          setting snares for a fellow Christian. You pay a
          terrible price - and your family pays an awful price -
          when you lay a trap for another believer!

          God help the Christian who clings to his jealousy of a
          brother or sister. If that kind of spirit is in your
          heart, Satan will surely lure you into some kind of
          demonic plot. He'll deceive you into joining a vengeful
          scheme against that person - but you'll only heap
          troubles upon yourself and your household!

          If you are slandering your boss or putting down a
          coworker...if you are involved in vicious gossip...if
          you take part in a conspiracy of any kind...if you
          blacken someone's name in any way, then you are laying
          a snare. And God abhors it! He will remember your
          scheme. And He will cause you to fall into the pit you
          helped to dig for another!

                      -------------------------------

                     No Matter Who Tries to Ensnare a
                           Devoted Child of God -
              the Devil, Wicked People or Other Christians -
                           It Will Not Succeed!

                      -------------------------------

          Often Satan will attack you in order to stop a great
          work for God. He will put sworn enemies in league
          together just to hinder your labors. They'll come
          against you in unison - trying to discount the
          minister, so they can stop the ministry!

          Yet you can be sure of this: If you are on a divine
          mission - if you are called to do a work for the Lord
          and are busy doing that work, trusting in Jesus - none
          of their plots will work against you.

          Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild the walls of
          Jerusalem. The work was progressing wonderfully, with
          the walls going up steadily. Then, suddenly, Satan
          stirred up a hornets' nest to hinder it all. Four VIP
          leaders joined in a plot against Nehemiah - Sanballat,
          Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian and a prophetess named
          Noadiah. Nehemiah says, "...they thought to do me
          mischief" (Nehemiah 6:2).

          Four times these leaders set a trap. They called out to
          Nehemiah, "Come down off your wall. We want to have a
          conference with you. We insist you talk to us!"

          But four times Nehemiah said, "I'm not coming down off
          these walls! I've got work to do here - because God has
          ordained me to do it!"

          Beloved, you can't get involved in arguing with people
          just because they want to argue. It's all meant to be a
          distraction. You've got to go on with God's work!

          You have to understand - the reason Satan comes against
          your prayer life, your consecration to God, your walk
          with Him, isn't just to bring you down. He also wants
          to ruin the ministry God has given you. He wants to
          destroy anything you're doing that brings glory to God!

          These four VIPs started a rash of rumors against
          Nehemiah. They claimed, "You're doing this for
          yourself, not for God!" One of them, Tobiah, sent
          slanderous letters to other leaders in Israel. As a
          result, "...there were many...sworn unto him..." (verse
          18).

          All the slander, plotting and snares were designed to
          put fear into Nehemiah's heart, in hopes he would get
          discouraged and run. Nehemiah sums up the scheme in
          verse 13: "...that they might have matter for an evil
          report, that they might reproach me."

          But none of those snares could stop the work of God!
          Scripture states: "So the wall was finished... And it
          came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof,
          and all the heathen that were about us saw these
          things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for
          they perceived that this work was wrought of our God"
          (verses 15-16).

                      -------------------------------

                      No Matter Who Lays the Snare -
             the Devil, Wicked People or Envious Christians -
               We Cannot See the Trap When We Come Upon It!

                      -------------------------------

          David writes: "The proud have hid a snare for me..."
          (Psalm 140:5, emphasis mine).

          The trap that the devil or the wicked are setting for
          you is something you can't see. It is laid in secret:
          "...they privily [secretly] laid a snare for me"
          (142:3). "...they commune of laying snares privily..."
          (64:5).

          Indeed, Scripture tells us, "Surely in vain the net is
          spread in the sight of any bird" (Proverbs 1:17).

          If a bird sees the fowler setting a trap, it will fly
          away. Likewise, the devil won't set a trap you can see.
          He's not going to tell you where or when it is laid. No
          - he does it all in secret, away from your eyesight!

          The prophet Micah informs us these snares are
          premeditated and well thought-out in secret. A fowler
          will stay up all night scheming how to ensnare the
          innocent: "Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work
          evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they
          practise it, because it is in the power of their hand"
          (Micah 2:1).

          Unfortunately, many believers fall into their traps!

          Perhaps you are caught in a snare right now - trapped
          by the enemy. At one time, you were like a bird, flying
          about, singing a sweet song. You spread your wings of
          faith and soared into the heavens. You knew what it
          meant to be free in Christ.

          But the enemy set a trap for you - he laid out his net
          and placed the corn nearby - and you went for it. You
          flew down, caught your foot in the fowler's net, and
          the trap sprang. You were caught!

          Dear saint, what was the devil's trap for you? Was it
          an old habit - drugs, sex, alcohol, pornography,
          adultery, fornication? Was it lying, stealing,
          covetousness, credit-card debt, cheating in some
          fashion, disobedience? No matter what kind of trap he
          laid for you, you must realize your fall was most
          likely not premeditated. On the contrary, you flew into
          it suddenly. The devil knew of a weakness in you, and
          he snared you in it.

          Today you sit in bondage, feeling trapped by your sin.
          You continually blame yourself, thinking, "How could I
          have done such a thing? I'm unholy, unclean. I can't
          make it. I never will!" But beating yourself that way
          is an absolute waste of time! It will never get you out
          of the net. You'll never be able to figure out how you
          could have been so foolish, blind and reckless as to
          fall back into the devil's trap.

          Yet, I have incredible news for you. If you've been
          trapped by the enemy - if you have fallen into his
          snare, yet you know you love God with all your heart -
          the Lord will not allow you to be the enemy's victim.
          He will not let you remain in the devil's teeth. You
          are about to be set free!

          "Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey
          to their teeth" (Psalm 124:6).

          God promises that you will not stay trapped! Let me
          paint the picture for you.

          Imagine a little bird trapped in the fowler's net. It
          lies there helpless - its little heart throbbing with
          fear and terror, its wings beating wildly against the
          net, but to no avail. The more it struggles, the more
          battered and bruised it becomes. Frightened, it begins
          to cry and screech. But escape is impossible. It is
          completely at the mercy of the fowler.

          Beloved, that little bird is you - snared by the net of
          sin! And the fowler is the devil, the wicked one. He
          laid his trap and caught you in it.

          Now, consider that trapped little bird and tell me how
          he could possibly get out by his own strength and
          power. If he fights to try to break through the net,
          he'll become even more entangled. He may even break a
          wing or bleed to death. He can't deliver himself. It is
          not in his power or ability!

          Isn't this a picture of us when we're trapped in sin?
          We make all kinds of promises to God. We struggle and
          cry, trying to break free from our bondage. But we
          remain trapped. We've lost our freedom!

          Think of the little bird again, trapped in the net.
          That night, the fowler goes to bed dreaming of this
          special little bird he's been after. He can hardly
          sleep, he's so anxious to go out the next day and see
          if he's caught it.

          Sure enough, as the fowler comes near the trap, he sees
          it has been sprung. Suddenly, he gets excited: He
          expects to see a worn-out, bleeding, frightened,
          half-dead little bird in the net. But, lo and behold,
          when he examines the trap, he sees the net is torn -
          broken. The bird has once again soared!

          We find the little bird perched on a limb in a tree
          high on God's mountain. He's free, and his wounds are
          healing. And it's all because the Lord came and ripped
          open the net!

          That little bird is saying to itself, "If it had not
          been for the Lord - if He hadn't rushed to my side - I
          would have been swallowed up and devoured. The angry
          hunter would have torn off my wings. His raging hatred
          would have destroyed me. But God broke the snare. He
          plucked me out of the teeth of the trap!"

          "Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the
          fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped"
          (Psalm 124:7).

          The snare is broken - and we have escaped!

                      -------------------------------

                    How Did the Bird Escape The Snare?
                      By Trusting in The Lord's Help!

                      -------------------------------

          How do you get out of the trap of besetting sin? To
          whom do you cry out from the net, "I want my freedom
          back!"

          First, picture yourself as a bird in the fowler's trap.
          Stand still. Don't flap your wings; don't struggle.
          There is a secret of deliverance for you, and it is not
          complicated:

          "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven
          and earth" (verse 8).

          Your escape to freedom is in the name of Jesus - in His
          incredible, glorious, all-powerful name!

          All you have to know is that He's on your side. He's
          not mad at you for falling into the trap. He is not
          against you. No - He hears your cry! Not even a sparrow
          falls to the ground without His knowing about it!

          Here is what the bird of freedom sings to himself: "I
          will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress:
          my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver
          thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome
          pestilence.... "Because he hath set his love upon me,
          therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high,
          because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me,
          and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I
          will deliver him, and honour him" (Psalm 91:2-3,
          14-15).

          Rest assured, beloved - God will deliver you! No matter
          what your failure, your hardship, your trap, He is on
          your side. Just stand still and see His salvation. Even
          if you're weak, you can cry out to Him. He promises to
          come and tear the net away!

          He has come to bring you out of your despair - to break
          the snare that binds you, and set you free.

          Hallelujah!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
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