A Subtle Snare

Apostle Paul warned everyone that Satan could appear as an angel of light and deceive people...and sure enough about 700 years later Mohammad was sitting in a cave and he claims an angel came to him and told him all sorts of spectacular things.  Of course they all contradicted the Gospel of Jesus Christ...so we can KNOW for certain that Islam is a religion founded by the lies of Satan.

Also about 1800 years after Christ bled and died for us, a dude name Joseph Smith was sitting in the woods when an angel appeared to him and told him some of the craziest tales about golden tablets, Lucifer and Jesus being brothers, black people being cursed since they followed Lucifer, the American Indians are actually the Jews, and a whole bunch more.  Also since his stories ADDED to the Bible we can know for certain the Mormonism is a religion founded by the lies of Satan.

Today we find Pastor Greg Laurie's devotion that gives us Paul's specific verse.

A Subtle Snare

And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
—2 Corinthians 11:14

When I was a kid, I collected snakes. I am not really sure why, but I used to be fascinated by them. I had all kinds. I would read books about snakes. I would go out looking for them and bring them home. And I was bitten by snakes many times. I discovered that you never really know what a snake is thinking. Snakes aren't expressive creatures; they are cold-blooded reptiles.

Snakes are nothing like dogs. You know where you are with a dog at any given moment. When a dog looks at you with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging, you know he is a friendly dog. But if the dog shows his teeth and the hair on his back is standing up, then you know he isn't happy. You always know where you stand with a dog.

But you never know with a snake. A snake has the same expression all the time. A snake will suddenly bite you, and you won't even see it coming.

In Genesis we're told that "the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made" (3:1). Notice that he didn't show up and say, "Hi, I'm the Devil. Maybe you have heard of me? I hate God, I hate you, and I want to destroy you. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. I have some ideas."

The Bible does say that Satan was a serpent, but it doesn't say that he slithered. He slithered after he was cursed (see Genesis 3:14). We don't know what he looked like, but there was something fascinating, interesting, and appealing about him. He was somehow attractive, and sin is always attractive.

The Devil may be wicked, but he isn't stupid. He comes with subtlety.