In Minnesota, fishing is a summer favorite for many people. Driving by the lake, it’s common to see people fishing, both on shore and out in boats. I don’t fish myself, but I have been fishing. What I like the most about it is sitting in the boat, being quiet, enjoying nature, the scenery, getting some sun, and reading a book. Sometimes, when I’ve lost the bait on my hook, I throw my line out anyway and sit back and relax, enjoying what I really came for.
This got me thinking about the different methods of fishing and how they relate to temptations in our lives. I remember watching my friends fish off the dock a few years back. My friend was getting a new worm, and her hook was hanging over the edge into the water. A bluegill started trying to bite the hook; without bait on it! What a dumb fish, I thought.
I got a quick lesson on the ways of the walleye when I went fishing for them. They’re a sneaky fish, and you need to be sneakier than they are. A metal leader will scare them away because they can see it, you don’t use a bobber, and you fish off the bottom. They come up to the bait, lure or whatever you’re using and gently suck it in; the person holding the pole can hardly feel the fish on the hook. The expert fisherman, when they feel that small tug they suspect is a walleye; will let some line out and let the fish run with it. The fish goes in the opposite direction of the boat with the bait in its mouth. They are thinking (leave it to me to guess what a walleye is thinking!) that they’re getting away with the bait, that this is a meal! When they have gone out a bit, the fisherman tugs at the line, “hooks” the fish and reels them in.
Then there’s the northern; they’re a frisky fish. I think of them as being the carefree partiers. They seem to gulp and swallow the bait that goes by them, and right away, they’re fighting with it. They like action; fast moving bait is attractive to them. The fisherman has to set the hook immediately, there’s no letting this fish run with the bait; you hook them, fight with them and reel them in. They’ll panic and dive deep, jump and flip trying to throw the hook off, swim under the boat, wrap themselves around the anchor rope and anything else not to get caught.
Different fish, environments or seasons call for different bait or lures. Sometimes, the fisherman doesn’t know what’s attractive to the fish, and they try a variety until something works.
This is how temptation is. There are different kinds of bait for different people, environments, and seasons in our lives. We may see someone falling for a temptation we would never fall for, and like with the bluegill, we think “what a dumb person to not see the hook in that temptation!” When we’re young Christians, we may not be alert, mature or strong enough yet to recognize and resist the old “bait” we loved.
Some of us are like northerns; we’re angry or just looking for fun and go after the action, the fast-moving stuff. Some of us are like walleyes. Maybe the mature Christian is, we think we’re being so careful, not seeing anything (such as a leader). We gently take a nibble, and then a bite, we run with it a while and we start to think it’s a meal, not bait. Then we get hooked!
Some of us know what our “hooks” are. The weak areas that we’ll bite at and get in trouble with. These things we can’t do, even though it may be OK for others. For example, some of us have addictions and cannot entertain the thought of tasting that certain something again. While others don’t have those same addictions and can indulge, with no problem. We know what our “hooks” are, and yet, we still go for the bait. That bait still looks attractive to us, it smells good, sounds good, we know we will get hooked, but we bite anyway. If we bite on these hooks often enough, there will be times we can’t remove the hook; or we get in denial about the hook. The size of the hook, how bad it’s stuck, or the type of bait used doesn’t matter, Jesus is the only one who can save us.
We may think hooks, bait and temptations come from the enemy, but some come from us. James 1:14 says “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” This tells me our desires tempt us. I’m not saying that Satan does not tempt us, he does, he tempted Jesus in the desert. What I’m saying is we are the ones making it hard for ourselves. This verse also points out it’s not just some of us, but each one of us is tempted. We are not alone.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16
Jesus is there for us and He understands. He’s there when we have hooks we can’t remove, when we’re in denial, and when we’re stuck in the cycle of sin. He’s there and He loves us. We can approach Him with confidence knowing we’ll find mercy and grace.
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