Some of you may recall last week’s post with regard to the sneaky coyote who slithered by me on a walk and caused me to think of the many times and ways the Lord may have protected me (us) from things of which we may not even be aware. In discussing this with my dear friend, Audrey, she mentioned another interesting way to interpret this occurrence. The one sneaking up is a picture of Satan who “prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Perhaps some of you discount the existence of a devil. But, Genesis tells of his encounter with the first man and woman and we saw how THAT turned out!
Like the coyote, the devil sneaks up on us and his main target happens to be those who believe in the Lord. C.S. Lewis in his book The Screwtape Letters, writes about the best way to bring these followers of the Lord to “our side”, so to speak. It seems the best way is to simply lull them into it so they slip over unaware. Jude 4 writes that “certain persons have crept in unnoticed” into the church. In other words, they are “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, as Paul referred to them. They appear to be “one of us” but, in reality, their goal is to chip away at truth (which seems to be working) in order to take over. Satan is called the “prince of this world” by Jesus in John 12:31 because, though he is not totally in charge, for the time being, he has a certain power. He even tempted the Lord Jesus three times in Luke 4, but was unsuccessful as Jesus simply responded by quoting Scripture and thus, sending the devil packing. The book of Hebrews tells us that because Jesus Himself was tempted, He understands our temptations and is “able to come to (our) aid…” (Hebrews 2:14) when we are going through such things. Being tempted is not a sin. Giving into it, is.
Jesus calls the devil a “liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44) and we are told to “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). How is it possible to do that? By tapping into the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. For ” greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” (1 John 5:4).
What are some of the enemy’s tactics to which we might relate? You may find others, but here are three:
DISTRACTION. He loves to distract us from what’s important by getting us to focus on the minutiae of the day. If he can succeed at that, anything constructive will be stonewalled. What’s an example? How much might we miss by having our noses in technology all day: the TV, our tablets or cell phones…
DISCOURAGEMENT. Suppose you are trying to do a Bible Study and it seems hard. Maybe you think it takes too long or you don’t understand it so you want to quit. Bingo! Perfect for him. Get you all wound up and discouraged and the temptation is to give up. The same thing holds true if you are volunteering somewhere, but someone else who helps there is super annoying. Nothing else to do but walk away. Maybe you physically can’t do some of the things you used to do. Easy to get discouraged and decide to do nothing. But, what CAN you do? I once knew a woman who volunteered at one of the prisons, bringing Bible Study to those who were incarcerated. When old age set in and she could no longer go, she wrote letters to the inmates for several years until her death. She touched many lives that way and made a difference without going anywhere. She didn’t allow herself to get discouraged.
DOUBT. The devil loves this one. Oh…to make them doubt. Then, they are such easy prey. He can fly down and scoop them up. How does the hymn go? “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love…” (Come, Thou Fount). Sure we get distracted. We get discouraged. We doubt. And, it’s like a snowball, rolling down a hill.
“Give ’em an inch and he’ll take a mile”, as the saying goes. Don’t let him sneak up on you. Jesus told His disciples to “keep watching and praying that you do not enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). Watch out for distraction, discouragement and doubt. These are just some of the tools the enemy uses to bring you down to his level. Beware!
“…do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:27)
Another great post. Thanks for the good reminder and great examples. It will definitely help remind me to “stay alert”.
Thank you! I’ll be sharing this with the girls!
Thanks Teri. I totally relate to these, particularly discouragement and doubt. Thank you for reminding me who is working hard against us.
I HAVE HAD SOME STRUGGLES OVER THIS ONE. I FIXATE ON SOMETHING MY GRANDPA TOLD ME 75 OR 80 YEARS AGO. HE TOLD ME SATAN DOES NOT LIVE IN A DUPLEX IN THE HEART OF A BELIEVER. THE HOLY SPIRIT MOVES IN ENTIRELY WHEN YOU ARE BORN AGAIN. THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE STILL DO NOT EXPERIENCE HUMAN feelings and discouragement, even doubts that emerge from living in a sinful world. GRANDPA TOLD ME THE DEVIL’S POWER WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS AND HE KNJOWS IT, BUT DO WE? I WAS SENT TO BED WITHOUT MY SUPPER FOR BLAMING THE DEVIL FOR NOT DOING MY HOMEWORK AND I NEVER FORGOT WE WERE HAVING my favorite FRIED CHICKEN THAT NIGHT. SATAN IS POWERLESS AND WE SELL OURSELVES SHORT IF WE STILL FOCUS ON FEAR OF HIM AND GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR OUR HUMAN EMOTIONS. JESUS FELT THEM ALL,. EVERY ONE . BUT HE NEVER GAVE SATAN CREDIT. WE NEED TO WATCH OUR FOCUS AND SEE THAT THE SCRIPTURES YOU GAVE US LEAD TOWARD ENCOURAGEMENT FROM ABOVE AND NOT on the fact Satan has any power left over the believer…. ” THAT’S THE BIGGEST LIE HE USES. We use him too often to take the focus off our own responsibilities I sure did that night and it was a huge lesson for me. Pat
Thank you again for your reminder, translation, interpretation and guidance! XO
Thank you, Teri. You always have such great thoughts on so many issues to help us in our daily life.
When we use the scriptures to expose Satan’s lies and temptations, that is an effective way to resist and defeat him. When God tells us to keep His words in our hearts, we should be able to draw upon them to strengthen us. That is why it is so important to remain in His Word on a daily basis, so we may never lose His power to remain steadfast against Satan and all his wiles.
Yesterday I got distracted; today I was tempted to quit and fell! The image of the coyote is very good … I’ll apply my strength in HIM and do better!
I find looking at the coyote stories from both perspectives to be very insightful. As always you provide some wonderful perspectives on every day life and living with purpose. God Bless.