No strings attached

Strings Attached

By Leslie Kate Thornton | Sassy Frass with Class

“The devil doesn’t come in horns and a pitchfork. He comes in everything you ever wanted with strings attached.”

He’ll look you dead in the eye and smile like he’s been waiting his whole life just to find you.The leather jacket is broken in just right, like it’s been on every backstage adventure worth telling. The boots are scuffed in all the right places. There’s that messy-but-perfect hair that looks accidental but you know it’s not, and eyes that say they’ve seen trouble and wouldn’t mind taking you along for the ride. The words are smooth. The timing is perfect. And before you know it, you’re leaning in, not realizing you’ve just stepped into the oldest trick in the book.

People think the devil’s easy to spot. Red skin, horns, a pitchfork in hand. The kind of thing you’d run from without a second thought.But no, he’s a lot smoother than that.He doesn’t roll up looking like a threat.He shows up like a dream.

Like a rock star stepping off stage with a half-smile that makes you forget what you were about to say, the kind of swagger that could talk its way past any velvet rope, and a voice that hits like your favorite song at just the right moment. The kind of presence that makes your knees weak and your better judgment quieter than it should be.

The enemy knows you’ll slam the door on ugly. So he sends charming. He sends fun. He sends convenient. And suddenly, you’re not just opening the door, you’re inviting him in for coffee.

At first, it’s perfect. Everything you’ve been praying for, just… not from the One you’ve been praying to. The compliments come easy. The opportunities feel wide open. And you tell yourself, “This is it. This is my blessing.”

But blessings from God don’t come with fine print.This one does.The strings start small, an easy compromise here, a harmless “just this once” there.Until one day, you realize those strings aren’t just strings, they’re ropes. And you’re tangled in something that looks like love or success, but feels a whole lot like control.

And maybe I’m sensitive to it right now because I’m in a weird, confusing season of life. Where I’m not even sure if God is opening a door or shutting it, but I keep walking by faith not by sight.

It’s the kind of season where you feel both blessed and blindsided at the same time.Where one day you’re sure of your next step and the next day you’re staring at the ceiling wondering if you’ve already taken the wrong one.

The devil doesn’t need to drag you down in flames when he can lure you off course with something beautiful.

2 Corinthians 11:14 says, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

That’s the trick. He doesn’t need horns, he just needs you to stop checking where the light’s coming from.

So now, when something or someone shows up looking like my answer, I pay attention. I watch the fruit. I pray over it longer than feels convenient. And I remind myself, a real blessing from God will never make me compromise who He made me to be.

I’ve danced to music I didn’t pick. I’ve called something “fate” when it was really just a distraction.

The devil doesn’t come in horns and a pitchfork. He comes in the form of everything you ever wanted.And I’ve cut those strings before.Trust me, I’m not afraid to do it again.