Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Lion-proof

My daughter must have been about three when we visited a zoo and there was this mountain lion in a cage. Of course, there was a fence between us and the lion. A double fence actually. But they had done a great job making it almost transparent. And as we walked by this lion locked eyes on our daughter and started to stalk in her direction. It was creepy.

Of course, I knew the lion couldn’t get her. I knew she was protected. I knew all he could do was roar. But the prowling, and the stalking, and locked eyes; it was still frightening.

You see, in this life, we have an enemy. The Bible compares him to a lying lion. The Bible puts it this way:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Here’s the good news about our spiritual enemy, the lion. We are protected. God has placed a wall between us and him. For the believer, he can no longer bite.

But here’s the bad news. He still roars. And when he roars, he lies. Intimidating lies, loud lies, terrifying lies, lies that devour.

Don’t listen to the lion’s lies. Tune into the Spirit’s whisper instead.