When solving a crime or mystery, Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Alfred Hitchcock often threw a red herring into their stories to mislead the audience. The term red herring, according to some accounts, comes from the early 1800s when British fugitives would disguise their trail with the pungent smelling fish to confuse bloodhounds that were tracking them.

Satan throws red herrings into the lives of Christians to disguise sin. Satan, as a master deceiver, can mislead us by making sin look most alluring and eye-catching when in reality it is deadly poisonous.

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” He is masterful at deceiving the world into thinking that wrong is right by making subtle suggestions for us to ponder and, if we allow, fester into sin. For that reason, it is important to stay close to God and pray each day asking for His guidance and protection from Satan’s cunning ways.