Escaping the Enemy’s Traps
IntroductionBeloved, the devil is a hunter. He doesn’t set traps for lions—he sets them for lambs. Every snare he builds is cunningly designed to capture something weaker than itself. Every trap is placed exactly where we walk most often. And every trap is baited with something we already love… or something we’ve grown numb to.
Over thirty-five years ago, an awesome man of God named John R. Garlock stood before a room full of hungry believers at Christ for the Nations and opened his Bible to Psalm 124. He taught us truths that still echo in my spirit today. This message is not original with me—it is a living legacy from a faithful teacher who has now received his reward. I share it with you in his honor, and more importantly, in the honor of the One who breaks every snare.
The Word of the Lord
“Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:7-8 NKJV)
Three Principles of Every Trap
- The trap is built stronger than its victim.
- The trap is designed to deceive.
- The trap is placed in the path the victim travels most—the “trappy” place.
The trapper always studies the ways of the prey. Satan has studied yours.
Three Principles of Our Rescue
- God Himself is the Rescuer, and He is stronger than any trial. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) Only the truth you know can set you free.
- The fowler is the devil—but his snare is no match for our Deliverer.
- The bird escaping is the perfect picture of freedom. God does not merely help us survive the trap—He breaks it so we fly again.
Ephesians 6:11 commands us to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The Greek word for “wiles” means a well-traveled path—the exact route the enemy knows you walk every day.
Now, with the Holy Spirit as our Guide, let’s expose the seven traps.
#1 – The Trap of Trauma
It strikes without warning—like a car crash in the night, or a snake that bites while you’re simply gathering sticks for a fire (Acts 28). Paul shook it off into the fire and suffered no harm. Why? Because “He shall give His angels charge over you” (Psalm 91).
Escape: Stay under the shadow of the Almighty. Trauma wants to define you; the blood of Jesus redefines you. Speak the truth: “This did not come to stay—it came to pass.”
#2 – The Trap of Tranquility
Change so gradual you never feel the heat. The old illustration still works: the frog in the pot. Half a degree every five minutes… until it’s too late.
The Holy Spirit is the One who says, “It’s getting warm in here—time to jump!”
Escape: Cultivate sensitivity to the Spirit. What once grieved you must never become comfortable.
#3 – The Trap of Trends
Repeated exposure to the shocking until the shocking no longer shocks. Native hunters once floated pumpkins down the river until the ducks stopped flying away. Then they carved out a pumpkin, put it on their head, and simply walked up and grabbed the birds.
We are doing the same thing in our culture. What repulsed us yesterday now gets a shrug. Soon we begin to act out the very thing that once horrified us.
Escape: Renew your mind daily (Romans 12:2). Let the Word keep you shockable in the right way.
#4 – The Trap of Tradition
The processionary caterpillars followed the leader in a perfect circle around the rim of a flowerpot for seven days—until they died of exhaustion. “Everybody’s doing it… it must be okay. It’s how we’ve always done it.”
Jesus said it plainly: “You have made the word of God of no effect by your tradition” (Mark 7:13). The fear of man is a snare (Proverbs 29:25).
Escape: Follow the Spirit and the Scripture, not the crowd or the company policy. Break the circle.
#5 – The Trap of the Treadmill
You run hard, sweat much, accomplish little, and never advance. Your God-given gifts stay locked inside while you stay comfortable in the same place.
Escape: Ask the Holy Spirit one dangerous question: “Lord, am I busy… or am I fruitful?” Then be willing to step off whatever treadmill is keeping you from your next assignment.
#6 – The Trap of Treasure
Hunters in Africa tied a jar to a stake, dropped a banana inside, and waited. The monkey could reach in, but once his fist closed around the banana he could not pull it out. He would rather die than let go of his treasure.
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). The lottery, the promotion, the possession—anything we refuse to release becomes our prison.
Escape: Hold everything with open hands. “Seek first the kingdom…” (Matthew 6:33) is not a suggestion—it is the key that opens the jar.
#7 – The Trap of Transgression
The ultimate snare. A little boy in Boston once carried a caged bird and poked it mercilessly with a stick. Dr. A.J. Gordon, working in his garden, stopped the boy and asked, “How much for the bird and the cage?” The boy named an outrageous price. Dr. Gordon paid it, opened the cage, and set the bird free.
That is exactly what Jesus did for you and me. We were trapped in sin, poked and tormented by the enemy. Jesus paid the ridiculous price—His own blood—and set us free.
Escape: Stay free by staying filled. “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
Closing Altar Call / Devotional Response
Right now, the Holy Spirit is pointing to the trap you’re in—or the one you’re drifting toward. Don’t wait until you’re boiled, circled, grabbed, or clubbed.
Say this prayer out loud with me: “Lord Jesus, You are stronger than every trap. I know the truth—You are my Rescuer. Break every snare in my life today. I refuse the Trap of Trauma, Tranquility, Trends, Tradition, Treadmill, Treasure, and Transgression. I choose freedom. Holy Spirit, make me sensitive again. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.”
Final Blessing
“Our soul has escaped… the snare is broken… and we have escaped.” Go fly, child of God. And when you do, tell someone about the man who first taught you this truth—John R. Garlock—and about the greater Man who made it possible: Jesus Christ, our Deliverer.