7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
– James 4:7
The Devil likes to Fish!
My brother and I used to go fishing all the time when I lived in Dallas. We would get up so early and we'd be on the lake at sunup. We had some good times but at first it was just plain frustrating. You see, before I moved to Dallas, my brother used to tell me about all the fish he would catch – sometimes 30 to 40 in one day! I don't care who you are – that's good fishing. The frustrating things is that when I moved and we started fishing together, we didn't catch anything – nothin – nada – zilch – zero! I began to question his stories of abundant fishing.
After about a month or so of getting "skunked" every outing, we decided to change our bait. We switched to live minnows on a double rig – in no time we were catching limits of hybrid and small striped bass. Fishing was fun!
As we had more and more success, we moved on to Black Bass and we learned all we could about how to catch them – we bought topographic maps that showed the underwater structure where they lived, we could see where water channels and deep pools were located so we could strategize our trips. We checked out the different lures and techniques and we learned what was effective and what wasn't. Soon we were catching good size keepers. I really miss those days fishing with my brother!
The enemy uses the same techniques on us – trying to lure us into sin by presenting us with things that are appealing and seem good. He knows what whets our appetites and he watches our reactions to each attempt. He is patient and quiet, and he knows just how to dangle that hook right in front of our faces so that when we get hooked, we don't even realize what has happened.
The Bible tells us to be big, mature fish (Christians). A fish only gets big and mature by avoiding the temptation of the lure – in fact, most times, when a lure is dropped in the water, the mature fish will swim the other way. It won't try to get a closer look (it has already seen others get yanked out of the water too many times), it won't dance around the lure or even try to smell it - the mature fish knows that the lure means danger and it avoids it at all cost.
As you run away from sin, the devil will try to find less experienced fish to prey on – oh, don't be fooled – he will NEVER leave you alone because he wants to bag the trophy fish, but he will turn his attention elsewhere until you make a mistake and he will try out a brand new and shiny lure to get you when you are at your weakest.
So if the devil won't ever completely leave us alone, what chance do we have to get big and fat (so to speak)? The key is to stay where the devil won't go – in the Word. You have to be so into God's Word that the devil will run away when you come around. The power of the Word is such that the enemy MUST flee, he has no choice. You also have to put on your armor every day – the day you forget is when a dart will come flying in from a distance and you will be vulnerable to attack.
The Word of God and the Armor of God – the best things to put in any tackle box!
Prayer
Father, thank You for Your Word. I submit myself to You today and I ask that You lead me in the way that I should go. I look to You for every direction and I submit every thought and every action to You. I need Your Word to protect me against the attacks of the enemy and I will put on my armor every day so that I can stand with my brother and sisters against his attacks. Thank You Father!
Have a blessed day my Brothers!
– Richard
Great word hon. On Sunday I was tired and missed both of these things and was open game for the enemy. I struggled and finally realized I was under attack. Once I got back in sync my view changed. It's so important to be covered and protected by His Word and the armor. Thanks for sharing.
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