Noted British pastor Charles Spurgeon once told the story of a preacher who was taking a leisurely stroll through a small village. As the preacher walked along, he saw a farmer leading a herd of pigs down the road. Since pigs are very independent creatures that don’t usually follow leaders, the whole scene struck the preacher as very odd.

Piqued by curiosity, the preacher took his place alongside the farmer and asked him, “How do you get these pigs to follow you like this?” The farmer said, “It’s easy. I have a sack full of peas in my pocket, and every now and then as I walk I drop a pea on the road behind me. One of the pigs gobbles up the pea and all the pigs keep following me because they know that I’ll be dropping another pea sometime soon.”

As the preacher listened to that explanation, he thought, “That’s very smart.” Then he asked the farmer, “And just where is it that you are taking the pigs?” Bluntly, the farmer answered, “To the butcher’s shop.”

Friend, could it be that Satan is dropping just enough peas in front of you these days to lead you to a bad place? Oh, what a master tempter he is! He knows just what appeals to you, just what you like, just what will keep you marching down the road he wants you to travel. That’s why it takes serious discernment to stop eating his peas, lift up your head, look around, and figure out that you aren’t where God wants you to be. Not surprisingly, few people ever show such discernment.

Right now, wherever you are in life, you would do well to ask God if you are on a road that is pleasing to Him. Ask Him to reveal His will to you. Ask Him to make His path plain and easy to spot. Ask Him to bring to nothing any wrong dreams that you are chasing. Ask Him to give you the wisdom and discernment to see Satan’s peas of temptation for what they really are: the seeds of your demise. In short, I guess what I’m saying is, don’t let the devil lead you to one of life’s butcher’s shops. I assure you that’s not a place you will enjoy.