Thorns and snares are in the path of the perverse, but one who guards his soul stays far from them. Proverbs 22:5, TLV

OUCH!     Have you ever been pricked by a thorn? Most likely it happened because the thorns weren’t visible initially. Or we weren’t paying attention to the plants we knew had thorns. Sigh. Unfortunately, I can’t count the number of times I reached for a rose and got the thorn.

What a great analogy for guarding our soul. We must be vigilant and discerning about the thorny temptations around us. Something — or someone — who draws our attention away from the safe path of GOD’s wisdom. If we can recognize the “scent” or “flower” from a distance, and know that they have thorns, we can avoid even the hidden thorn. What do I mean by this?

Hidden Thorns

If a movie is rated R, most likely there will be thorny images hidden within. We may not know precisely what those images or concepts will be, but we can elude whatever harmful thorn is there by simply not watching the movie.

By the way there are organizations that will trim those thorns before we watch them (see below).*

Recognizing the thorns and snares in our life is the first step to evading them. Don’t we want to prevent as much unnecessary pain as possible? I sure do.

We’re not helpless in the fight . . .

“Therefore, pray in this way: ‘Our Father in heaven, sanctified be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.’” Matthew 6:9-13, TLV

We all have attractive “scents” or “flowers” that draw us toward the thorns that injure us spiritually. Our weak areas. It’s no coincidence that Jesus gave us a template for prayer that included praying about temptations. We would do well to remember that little petition.

Still, we are flawed humans. And sometimes we must get stuck before we can recognize the danger. We do an about-face, repent, and know that our loving Father forgives us. Then, once we learn, we can circumvent that temptation in the future by guarding our soul. And that’s a good thing.

Think More About It

What are my “hidden thorns”? How have you overcome those thorns and snares? Thanks for stopping by. If this blog was at all helpful, please share with your friends and family.

Until tomorrow, may we avoid the thorns and snares, my friends.

Please continue your prayers and support of Israel. God bless you!

*There are companies that will edit family-friendly R-rated movies into something the whole family can watch. Here’s a great article with several companies that perform this service. https://www.crosswalk.com/culture/features/editing-companies-show-family-friendly-r-films-are-possible-1339204.html