"You believe there is one
God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and
tremble.
James 2:29 NKJV
There are many Scripture
references to satan, the enemy of our soul. One that
many of us are familiar with is I Peter 5:8-9. It
refers to him as a predator of the weak and the
unsuspecting. His mode of operation is to prowl
about as a roaring lion. His roar causes those who
are fearful in heart to be easy prey for him. He
roars lies, insults, and accusations continually in
an effort to paralyze and devour his prey.
We are told to be sober and
vigilant regarding his schemes. Lions do not hunt
constantly and neither does he. He waits until just
the right moment and then goes after his prey. Many
of us would have been food for him long ago, if we
had not been serious and consistent in our walk with
the Lord.
I have learned many things,
regarding the enemy of my soul. He often attacks
when things are going well and I am feeling secure.
I have also found that his attacks can be
obvious…or very subtle.
Recently, I experienced something
very strange. I was sitting at my desk doing a late
night infusion. I was feeling sick and tired—and
very sick and tired of feeling that way. My mind was
coming up with all kinds of scenarios as I
considered "options" that I had created
myself.
I was seriously thinking about
discontinuing the medication. I was tired of the
infusions and all that accompanied them. I was
contemplating ending my antibiotic therapy and
having my cast removed. My thinking was that we
would just see what the outcome of these actions
would be.
That would be a plausible plan if
it had originated in the heart of God.
Unfortunately, it had not but instead was the result
of fatigue and frustration and a sense of
uncertainty.
I was sitting in front of my
computer trying to figure out how to sell my plan to
my family and physician. I knew that after almost
six years of fighting this illness that they would
not approve of my plan to end all the treatments.
I was pondering my plan when an
email message came in. I felt too tired to read
anything but I decided to take a quick look. I was
exhausted and on the brink of despair. Still
curiosity caused me to go to my inbox.
The message that came in is one
that defies all that I know about computers. The
lines that say: to, from, and subject were
all--blank. It was a message to no one about nothing
from nowhere. In all of my years online, I had seen
some very strange things BUT never before had I seen
anything like this.
As a scrolled down to read the
body of the email, my eyes could not believe what
they saw. There was only one word in the message and
it was the word "QUIT."
Immediately, something rose up
deep inside of me. I was angry at the roaring lion
that had been very busy seeking to devour me. The
warrior within me immediately stood up, though
physically I was still sitting down. The enemy had
been trying to pull one over on me and was close to
being successful. However, he always overplays his
hand and this time was no exception.
Suddenly my fatigued body, mind,
and spirit seemed to be infused with new Power for
this battle. I also have come to see satan in a
different light, which has been very empowering.
Though I know that he is a deadly enemy who by the
power of manipulation often gets the best of me—I
also saw him as "a cowardly lion" for the
very first time.
It has always been my feeling that
letters, notes, and gifts sent or given anonymously
were the acts of a coward. As I was growing up, I
received anonymous notes occasionally. In most
cases, eventually the sender would reveal
themselves. No matter the content of the note, I
found myself always asking the same question
"why didn’t you sign your name so I could
know who it was from." The answers were
basically all the same--"I was afraid."
The email message that I received
came from a coward who was unwilling to reveal their
identity. In the natural, it does not seem
possible--but in the spirit realm, nothing surprises
me.
The moment that my eyes saw the
word "QUIT" I know that I needed to get up
spiritually--shake off the dust--and trade my
garment of weariness for a garment of praise,
instead. All thoughts of quitting immediately left
me and I felt a new sense of hope regarding my
situation. I remembered the importance of never
quitting—as doing so allows the enemy to win.
I have given thought to "the
cowardly lion" this week. Each time the image
of the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz quickly
comes to mind. The lion looked like a lion…and he
roared like one too…but the truth of the matter
was that he was plagued with fear.
The Bible says in James 2:19 that
the demons tremble because of what they know about
God. I cannot help but believe that their leader
does the same thing. I believe that the enemy
becomes flustered and afraid when he is losing
ground in his attacks. Having already tried his
obvious tactics he resorts to being a coward.
Someone once said that it is
darkest before the dawn. In the darkest of times the
"cowardly lion" becomes desperate to make
us his prey because he knows that we are on the
brink of a miracle which does great harm to him as
Jesus shines forth in all of His glory.
Perhaps there has been some
ferocious roaring going on in your life today. If so
then most likely, the enemy is up to the same old
thing and your breakthrough is on the way.
Be alert—not just to the obvious
attacks but also to the subtle ones. He will use
everything and everyone that he can to paralyze your
faith so that you will be stuck in a rut unable to
shine for Jesus. He wants to make a meal of you
because of his evil appetite.
Do not give up--do not give in. He
is a "cowardly lion" who cannot win. His
fear of us overcoming makes him desperate to make us
his prey. We gain strength to resist his attacks
every time we pray.
Will you pray…or be prey today?
Think about it.
