“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” — 1 Corinthians 10:12
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If you’ve been involved with any type of team sport for long, you’ve undoubtedly fallen victim to a “trap game.” A trap game is when a team plays a seemingly inferior opponent right before or after facing a big rival or similarly superior opponent. What happens in trap games? The the team experiences a letdown and loses. It’s human nature to overlook trap games, but experienced coaches know the dangers and often speak about avoiding them.
In the Christian life, followers of Christ often find themselves in a type of trap as well. It is often in regular, mundane situations or following great personal or ministry successes that believers are unexpectedly bombarded by temptation. Just like a sports team is especially vulnerable to getting beat following a big win, believers are especially vulnerable to sin following some type of triumph. The enemy knows this, and it’s why his temptations are often strongest at times like these.
God in His Word speaks about the Christian trap. First Corinthians 10:12 says, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” If you are standing strong in the Lord, rejoice! But do not take your foot off the gas, to use a common sports analogy.
Do not let yourself be deceived into believing you are stronger than you actually are, or further along in the sanctification process than you actually are, because it’s when you stand that you are most likely to fall. In the moments that you stand, when you begin to be fed the lie that you don’t need Christ, those are the moments that you actually need Him the most.
In moments when you stand, continue in faith, hope and love. Continue to pray to God with all humility and all thanksgiving, knowing that in your own strength you can do nothing, but in His strength you can experience victory.
Christ died for you so you can experience ultimate victory in His presence forever, where there will be no more temptation and no more sin. But until then, do not become another victim of a “trap game” in this life.
— Kevin Mercer
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