My daughters and I are taking my grandkids to Boo at the Zoo tomorrow. The grandbabies will be dressed as “Sophia the First,” “Jake the Pirate,” and “Rapunzel.” It will be crowded (more in the parking lot than inside the zoo), but it is fun to go and watch people and see how the kids interact with others.

Several years ago my daughter and I took Joy to Boo at the Zoo in her “Jessie” the cowgirl from Woody’s Round Up Gang. She looked so cute from her red cowgirl hat down to her sparkly red boots.

She apparently looked convincingly life-like. As we were waiting to go into the zoo, a young girl walked up to Joy and gave her a bear hug. She didn’t want to let go. The little girl’s father joined the pair. He apologized and explained that his daughter thought Joy really was Jessie. When she saw Joy, she had been mesmerized and was drawn to the life-sized version of her favorite character. It was such a cute scene.

As grownups, we too can be attracted to things in this world that pull us away from the safety and security of our heavenly Father. We believe what we’re taught. We are swayed by a great speaker. We don’t take the time to investigate. And pretty soon we’re bear hugging the enemy himself.

So how can we keep from falling into these traps?

First and foremost, we must be teachable. We must want to know what God has to say about situations in our lives. King David understood this important step and he asked God to help him. In Psalm 119:66 (NIV), David is quoted as saying, “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.”

When we allow our hearts and our heads to learn from God and then put it into practice, we will be filled with knowledge and good judgment.

As a Christian, we have God’s Spirit within us to lead and guide us. He will help us along our journey to discern who and what we need to stay clear of.

Jesus told His disciples of God’s Spirit in John 14:16-17 (NIV). “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be with you.”

With God’s Spirit, who is our Counselor and Truth, we are able to distinguish between good and bad, true and false, righteous and evil. This will help us to remain close to our Heavenly Father and to be safe within His arms.

We also must know God’s Word. As studiers of the Bible, we have an obligation to know what is within its pages. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) tells us, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Knowing what God’s Word says is part of our responsibility. The Bible will help us to stay on the right path (Psalm 119:11). It is a light (Psalm 119:105). It is a means to our preservation (Psalm 119:93). It leads to understanding and insight (Psalm 119: 99-100).

The combination of God’s Spirit and God’s Word will help us as we go through this life. But we must be willing to listen and obey. Listen with our hearts to what the Holy Spirit is telling us and know when things are out of line because we have studied God’s Word.

I pray that your spiritual discernment will keep you from falling into the evil one’s traps. Keep studying. Stay focused. Listen to God’s Spirit. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4 – NIV)

It will be a good day tomorrow and I look forward to seeing the many characters out there. Some young ones may believe them to be the real thing, but I know better. My little princesses and pirate are just pretending.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

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