The tree was unlike any other tree I had ever seen.
Two peach trees stood on the other side of the privacy fence, separating our small subdivision from a lot of woods and a neighboring business’s back parking lot. They belonged to our neighbor across the road. The young trees filled with blooms and small peaches every year in early spring. And every year, the squirrels and birds that lived and played in the trees in those woods ate every one of the peaches as soon as they reached the size of a golf ball.
One year, as I rounded the fence on my daily walk, something in the tree startled me: a snake. Not one to overly fear snakes, I walked closer to see whether it was poisonous. That’s when I noticed it wasn’t a real snake at all. Our neighbors had placed a rubber snake three feet up in the tree, hoping to scare off the squirrels and birds.
The trees continued to change as I walked each day. I suppose the snake wasn’t enough—or, at least, the neighbors didn’t think so. They wanted peaches … badly. The following items were tin pans. They had cut them in half and tied them to various limbs in the tree—a trick I had used in my gardens. A trick that also had not worked when it came to keeping out deer. Perhaps it would work for squirrels and birds.
One day, as I rounded the corner of the fence, I jumped, thinking someone was standing near the tree. They weren’t. Our neighbors had stuck a tomato cage in the ground near one of the trees and decorated it with clothes. Another “person” hung in the other tree, waving like a Halloween ghost.
But even all of the above wasn’t enough. Our neighbors perched a fake owl on the fence. They also hung pieces of hose in both trees, along with other implements—even a plastic gorilla. So many things, in fact, that it was difficult to see the small peaches anymore. The wife wanted to make sure this tree wasn’t a temptation tree for squirrels and birds. She wanted peaches and set out to do whatever it took to get them.
Satan has a way of acting like my neighbor: decorating things up a bit so they look good and beneficial. That way, I don’t see how harmful they might be to my body, soul, and spirit.
But my neighbor prepared, which is the only way to adequately face temptation. In the heat of the moment, without any forethought, I’ll make the wrong choice every time, but when I’ve stored up a pattern of spiritual disciplines—Bible study, prayer, meditation, worship, fellowship—I’ll be more prepared to face and reject what Satan uses to entice.
Accepting Christ results in a new nature—as well as a new want—which leads us in new directions. Paying attention to God’s Spirit as he works through this new nature helps keep us away from the pretty things Satan hangs in our life’s trees to entice us.
When we decide not to sin against God, he will give us the power to do just that—at least sinning will not be the norm. He promises to show us a way out when we look and assures us he won’t allow the temptations to grow so intense that we could say, “God, I couldn’t help myself.”
Don’t let life’s temptation trees take your eyes off obedience to God.
Father, give me strength to overcome the temptations Satan hangs before me.
Tweetable: Which temptation tree tempts you?
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