Seducing Or Settling? (Pt. 1: The Introduction)

There was a news report that came out several days ago about rainbow-colored fentanyl pills being hidden in a Lego box.

As I was looking over a particular news article on this report, there was a statement made by an authorities who was overseeing this incident that really stood out to me:

“Using happy colors to make a deadly drug seem fun and harmless is a new low, even for the Mexican cartels.”

– Bridget G. Brennan, NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutor

What sort of spiritual lesson can we as Christians take from this?

What The Bible Says…

Mark 13:22 says:

For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

(Mark 13:22)

I’m sure many of us are familiar with Matthew 24:24, where Jesus warns us as His elect to not be “deceived.”

But Mark 13:22 gives us a slightly different perspective, where Jesus warns us to not be “SEDUCED”.

What does that mean?

The very root word for “seduce” in the Greek is planos (πλάνος).

It means “wandering.”

It’s also the same Greek word used to describe “seducing spirits” in 1 Timothy 4:1.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

(1 Timothy 4:1, emphasis added)

So, here in these verses, Jesus is warning us as His elect followers to not only be sure we’re not deceived, but to also be sure we don’t wander off the narrow way.

Another interesting thing that I’d like to point out is that the opposite of “wander” is “settle.”

This brings to mind something Paul wrote in Colossians 1:23–

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

(Colossians 1:23)

Now, what does all this have to do with finding a spiritual lesson from that rainbow fentanyl news report?

What Is Happening…

In the same way the drug cartels are using rainbow-colored drugs “to drive addiction among kids and young adults,” according to Drug Enforcement Administration officer Anne Milgram, so the devil is using professedly “Christian” things to sadly drive astray many Christian young people off the path to Heaven.

And in this new series, Seducing Or Settling?, I’m going to be sharing with you–especially if you’re a parent–things that the enemy is using within the church to cause your children to wander away from the Lord.

So stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll look into how a seemingly “Christian” website is influencing thousands of Christian children down the road to atheism.

Stay tuned!