2 Timothy 2:25-26

It is Satan’s will that all humanity parish. To achieve his purpose he sets traps for humanity, both as individuals and as groups. His traps are not obvious, if they were, nobody would fall into them. He is very good at what he does, and much of the world is captive to his will and do not even know it.

As a child, my grandmother told me I could catch more flies with honey than I could with vinegar. She was right, but she never told me why I would want to catch flies. However, her truth applies to the work of evil in the world. In order to take individuals captive Satan tempts everyone with specially tailored temptations. He does not try to catch flies with vinegar, and he does not attempt to trap good moral people with temptations to do obvious evil. It is my opinion that one of Satan’s most effective traps today uses the baits called tolerance and open-mindedness. Good people do not wants to be thought of as being close minded or intolerant, and Satan uses that to ensnare the gullible and the uninformed. We live in a world where people are very uncomfortable with labeling some behaviors immoral, especially if enough of their friends practice those behaviors. Satan uses people who are trapped in their own immorality to pressure others to accept it and label it is normal.

It is frustrating, and in some cases, it is hurtful to watch young people except behaviors and actions that we know the Bible teaches are immoral. In our frustration, compounded by our attitude that we know more because we have lived longer, we older Christians can sometimes be harsh and condemning in our instruction. Paul warns Timothy against this way of instructing his opponents. Paul tells him to be gentle, in the hopes that God will lead them to repentance when they are exposed to the truth. To reveal the truth, the light of Christ must shine from a heart of love.