Open & Shut Case
For the past 7-8 years, we’ve had a miniature Yorkie dog. He weighs about 6-7 pounds. If you shaved him, he’d weigh about 4, probably.
When he doesn’t want to go outside, get a bath, or do whatever it is you want him to do at the time, he’s so small he can hide in a lot of places. So I can call him. I can whistle. I can say his name nicely … or not so nicely. When he’s concerned about what we might be planning for him, he is quiet and hidden. Tucked away, head down, ears up, on the alert.
But having a slightly larger brain than he does, I have figured out his weak spot. We have these dog treats that we only give him once a day or for a reward. We keep them in a specific drawer in the kitchen inside a small plastic container that has locking pop-up latches.
When I have called and coerced and he won’t come out, all I have to do is go open that drawer and just pop open one latch on the lid of the treat case. As soon as he hears it, from wherever he is, his instinct to hide is overcome with his instinct for the treat and he comes running. Now his previous choice no longer matters and he now runs to the exact thing he was hiding from. Why? Instinct appears to have changed. Bad circumstance now appears to be good.
When he suddenly and predictably appears at my feet, I close the case, reach down and pick him up to do whatever we need to do. No treat and the jig is up.
Now, you might think he would start to become leery of the treat-case-opening-trick, but no, the desire for the treat always makes him come running.
The enemy figures out what needs to be in our “treat case” for us to run to it. After giving us a taste of what he has in there, he then can just pop the lid latch. We get trained so easily. And, too often, we even know there is a good chance he’s just popping the lid to trap us, but the desire of the potential of the treat overcomes us.
So, the question for today is: What’s in your treat case and how easily do you come running when you hear the lid unlatch? How well are you trained?
You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger, Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone. I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God. —Psalm 31:3-5 NLT
1 comment
Subscriber January 17, 2017
My treat trap lid is looking at porn images by turning off safe search on search engines and going to the images and only on my phone, and the enemy typically opens that lid 41st night as everyone is getting ready for bed waiting for my turn to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. The enemy also likes to open that treat lid when my wife and I are fighting without the words as we don't talk to each other. The enemy has, no had, me well trained but now the Lord is stepping in and retraining me. The enemy has me well trained and I know that without the Lord I can and have gone back to looking at those porn images. The enemy does set the traps and we could run to the trap or we can run to the way, the Truth and the Light resist the devil and he will flee from you