day no. 16,244: by flattery not battery

"Satan never brushes the feathers of his birds the wrong way; he generally deals with us according to our tastes and likings. He flavours his bait to his fish." -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Sin doesn't cut against the grain. It goes with the grooves. It seeks out smooth words. It entices by flattery, not battery. It likes a lull. It doesn't want the dramatic. Ruffled feathers and frustrated cravings are not its modus operandi. Sin prefers more subtle mediums of seduction.

Proverbs 27:5-6

Open rebuke is better than secret love.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Sin prefers to kill with kisses. It doesn't want to cause discomfort, it wants to scratch the itch.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth.

Satan is a smooth operator, not a rabble-rouser. He wants you unaware, not paying attention. And the best way to slake a thirst is to give it what it wants.

Beware of the ones who've never crossed you, they will never lead you to the cross.