Proverbs 23:15, KJV

“My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.”

Are you aware that the enemy disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)? Do you teach your children this truth so that they might be fully equipped in this life to overcome the snares of the devil?

The fight with your mother-in-law, those nagging emotions you have towards your husband, they have nothing to do with them and everything to do with the war that comes from within. The Bible clearly teaches us that it is not flesh and blood we war against, but rather spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). When we get ahold of that reality it has the potential to set us free.

I have been very careful to show my children the result of sin. The end of a drunkard, the end of a lazy person, the end of a harlot or a man who pursues one. But, what I have recently come to realize is that I have neglected to teach them the deceitfulness of sin and the luring power it can have on us when we are taken off guard and unknowing.

That drunkard started out enjoying the results of alcohol. The partying was fun and the feeling it gave them was enjoyable. But God in His infinite wisdom teaches us in His Word that sin is only pleasurable for a season (Hebrews 11:25). A lazy person by nature is fulfilling the desires of their flesh. They do what comes easier and take all the short cuts thinking they are being wise. But, in the end, it leads them to poverty (Proverbs 6:10).

The harlot at first enjoys the attention from men—but soon discovers that the love isn’t lasting and she still feels such a void inside her. A man or boy who goes after a harlot finds pleasure for the moment without realizing he has now become a slave to his own fleshly desires.

In all of these circumstances people were deceived by their own pleasures because in the end, it is what ruined them. God has a much higher way for all of His children! First, we must learn to know the tactics of our enemy and then be diligent in teaching them to our youth!

We must also remember that it is not God’s desires for us to live without pleasure! Oh no, just the opposite is true! Instead, God desires that our pleasures would be lasting and nourishing to our bodies and minds in the meantime. The temporary pleasures of sin destroy the mind and body. They cause decay and destruction to multiply—it is a deceitful pleasure—do not be fooled by it!

We can learn so much just from the first few chapters in Genesis. The sin of Eve in the garden is the exact same sin that besets every man! Believing the lie that God doesn't have our best in mind and that He is withholding something greater from us. So, we then act in a way that’s contrary to how He has instructed us, believing we will find a more fulfilling life there.

God has pleasures for us and they are the best pleasures this corrupted world has to offer us! They are lasting and so satisfying! You see, all of God’s commands for us are exactly that—for us. For our good, for our gain, for our success, and for our freedom. It does nothing for God when we obey Him. Of course He rejoices when we do, just as any good parent would. But, it’s not so that He may have control over us. This is a great lie that the enemy has used since the beginning of time—let us no longer allow ourselves to be deceived by it—but rather be set free!​