I’ve Seen That Mountain Lion
1 Peter 5:8
One day in the mountains, a man went for a peaceful walk or so he thought. Unknown to him, a mountain lion was prowling around waiting to devour him. The man was attacked. He survived and is now a lot more careful while he walks in the mountains.
Now I wasn’t thinking of any particular man. I’m sure this has happened a number of times over the years. Peter wrote that the devil is like such a lion. He is ready to devour each and every one of us. Unfortunately in my life, I’ve tended to walk a little closer to the devil than I should. It’s like I’ve decided with my actions to make that lion’s leap a little less difficult. When I give in to impatience or anger, and numerous other bad habits, I sometimes get devoured.
Unlike the man in my fictitious story, I have yet to learn to be more careful while I walk through the mountains. In some areas of my life, I keep doing the same things wrong over and over. However, I refuse to beat myself up over that. But if Satan wants to do so, that is his prerogative. God loves me. I know that. He loves to hear “I’m sorry.” God loves to see my baby steps in the right direction. I can see God holding his hands out, encouraging me to leave any area of sinful muck in my life. There he is now, calling, “Brian, c’mon. You can do it. Just a few more steps.”
Eventually, I’ll be out of reach of Satan’s leaping ability in certain areas of my life. Those areas will be conquered. They will belong firmly in God’s grasp. Getting out of Satan’s reach is not easy. It’s time consuming. It cannot be done solely by our own ability. We are better able to accomplish this with the help of others. While we don’t want others to struggle as we do, it is nice to know that we are not the only ones who are struggling with a particular issue.
Today, share your struggle with someone else. That sharing might help you and the other stay far from the reach of Satan.
