So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:31-36)
I don’t know about you, but I find it harder to accomplish the things I want to accomplish these days. With the invention of smart phones and the Internet, it is getting harder to stay focused on what is important. It’s not that the Internet and the phone are bad, but the attraction they have to get you to look at just one more thing and then another is very strong. Then before you know it that one more thing and another have snared you away from the things that you needed to accomplish. Now you have to scamper quick to get them done. You ask yourself, “Where did the time go?” But in reality, you’ve just been snared.
A “snare” is actually a trap for catching birds or animals. One of Merriam-Webster definitions of snare is: A device that has a loop (called a noose) which gets smaller when the end of it is pulled and that is used to catch animals : a kind of trap.
What a perfect way to describe myself when I’m being snared. That one more thing I clicked on the Internet or on my phone is like a noose that gets smaller and tighter around my neck the more I respond to it. Spiritually speaking, when the trap is over and Satan has done his job to completely snare me away from what is important in my life, I die. I feel like death. All I want to do is crawl under the covers and wish I could sleep forever.
Jesus admonishes us in His word to be careful about ourselves that we do not end up being snared by the cares of this life, the surfeiting and drunkenness of life, and forget the most important thing that is coming – His return. He told us,
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. {Luke 21:35}
The Lord knows us just too well. Surfeiting means consuming or excessing too much on something. Isn’t that exactly what we do? When we can’t get enough of something we excess on it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s surfing (or surfeiting) on the Internet because we want to know more of what we’re interested in, or over-eating, over-drinking or partying. You name it, it doesn’t matter what it is. When we like something we double and triple up on it. Some of us are just completely helpless when it comes to denying ourselves. We have no self control, none whatsoever.
But you know something, the Lord gave us the answer and escape from all of this. He told us to pray always. He’s telling us to spend time with Him and talk to Him. Not just once or twice but always. That’s how to get out of the snares of this world – pray! That’s how to get prepared for His coming: by talking to Him. Like it or not, alone we can’t do anything when it comes to the kingdom of God. Satan is too powerful for any of us. He has trapped too many of us again and again simply because he’s just too strong. We need the Lord. We need to constantly abide in Him and in His presence. Remember what Jesus said to us in John 15:5,
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
If we want to be accounted worthy of heaven and to stand before the throne of God and see His face, we have no other choice, we need to pray. We need to spend time with Him. Sure, your flesh will like to make excuses and say, “But I don’t have time!” But you have to make time. When you’re done being “snared” by this world, talk to Him. While you’re being snared, talk to Him. When you’re dying and feel like death because you’ve been snared again and you feel like a failure again, talk to Him. Pray! Tell Him, “Jesus save me! Jesus deliver me! Jesus help me! I can’t save myself, please come and protect me and help me and forgive me!” Don’t ever stop talking to Him. Don’t ever stop crying out to Him from your heart and asking Him for His help and grace and forgiveness and salvation. Any time you need Him, He is there. Any time you want Him, He is there. Even when you feel like He’s a million miles away, keep talking because He’s as close to you as your heartbeat and your thoughts. He is there always, all the time, without a doubt. So don’t stop talking to Him, because He will come and save you. He will lift you up and help you. And remember, you will stand before His face someday. Keep talking to Him, so on that day He will know you, and be able to say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” {Matthew 25:21}
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. {Luke 9:23}
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. {Luke 14:27}
Prayer
Father, I thank You because great is Your love for us. There is nothing we can ever need of that You cannot help us with. You have come to save us and deliver us from all our sins and the entrapment of the enemy of our soul. Our hope is in You, Jesus, because You alone love us and have overcome at Calvary for us. Thank You Savior for overcoming for us.
Father, please forgive us for our wandering hearts. You know us too well. That’s why You warned us to be careful about the pleasures and the cares of this world, because they will snare us away from You and Your coming. Father we are weak without You. We cannot do it, Lord. On our own we will be lost for sure. We cannot save ourselves from these things that the enemy of our soul has devised against us. But You can. You can help us be more aware of these snares and of Your presence. Help us desire You more deeply in our hearts. I pray Father that You will do this for us. Please Savior, give us the power to overcome until the end. I pray this in Your most wonderful name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
