LION ON THE LOOSE! Those were the recent headlines from out of Galveston. Texas authorities who were busy trying to clean up after Hurricane Ike smashed into Galveston had a new problem on their hands: There was a lion (and tiger) on the loose. A county official said that the animal somehow left its enclosure at an exotic pets center in Crystal Beach. Animal experts are coming in to try and catch the big cats. Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough put it this way: "Turns out there's a tiger, and I understand he's hungry ... so we're staying away from him."
Well, there’s another lion on the loose as well. He’s far more dangerous than any wild animal could be for he is seeking to devour the souls of man. Peter tells us in his letter to the church of his day (and to us as well): “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith” (I Peter 5:8,9, New Living Translation).
Our ancient foe is lion-like in this respect. He crouches in the weeds. He waits for the weak and vulnerable. He looks for those who are cut off from the herd, who are alone with their thoughts. He is swift to the attack and determined to bring us down!
A missionary who served in Africa for many years shared some thoughts on what to do in case we ever met or encountered a hungry lion. The first thing to remember is that you should never try to outrun on lion. That would mean certain death. They have been clocked at up to 36 miles an hour. Next, you should try to look very brave and stare right into the lion’s eyes. If you are successful, he will back down and run away. However, if that does not work, you should be prepared for the lion to attack you. Have your spear ready so that when he leaps upon you, he will land on the spear and be killed!
This same advice can be applied to our dealings with the devil. We can stand against him by faith. If he attacks (and he surely will) we can be ready with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. He will fall on it.
One day the Lion of the tribe of Judah will do far more than tame this beast. He will in fact, hunt him down and throw him into a pit from which he will never escape. His entire pride will perish with him. That’s good news. But in the meantime we must be alert to his prowling ways and be ready to defeat his intentions. We can do it with the help of the Lord!
Well, there’s another lion on the loose as well. He’s far more dangerous than any wild animal could be for he is seeking to devour the souls of man. Peter tells us in his letter to the church of his day (and to us as well): “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith” (I Peter 5:8,9, New Living Translation).
Our ancient foe is lion-like in this respect. He crouches in the weeds. He waits for the weak and vulnerable. He looks for those who are cut off from the herd, who are alone with their thoughts. He is swift to the attack and determined to bring us down!
A missionary who served in Africa for many years shared some thoughts on what to do in case we ever met or encountered a hungry lion. The first thing to remember is that you should never try to outrun on lion. That would mean certain death. They have been clocked at up to 36 miles an hour. Next, you should try to look very brave and stare right into the lion’s eyes. If you are successful, he will back down and run away. However, if that does not work, you should be prepared for the lion to attack you. Have your spear ready so that when he leaps upon you, he will land on the spear and be killed!
This same advice can be applied to our dealings with the devil. We can stand against him by faith. If he attacks (and he surely will) we can be ready with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. He will fall on it.
One day the Lion of the tribe of Judah will do far more than tame this beast. He will in fact, hunt him down and throw him into a pit from which he will never escape. His entire pride will perish with him. That’s good news. But in the meantime we must be alert to his prowling ways and be ready to defeat his intentions. We can do it with the help of the Lord!
posted by kazookid | 7:08 AM
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