It is with great pride that I announce today that Greg and I have a new member in our family. He is the cutest thing and pretty much takes care of himself. No, we didn’t adopt a child or get a new puppy or kitty. What we did acquire is yet another “dead animal” to add to our collection! Yes, my man is a hunter and I jokingly tell people that we have “Wild Kingdom” minus Marlin Perkins at our house. Some of you are too young to know about “Wild Kingdom” and Marlin Perkins, but others of you will remember the television program well. We have several beautiful, very large deer, a black bear, a Russian boar, a coyote, many birds, an elk and several turkey fans.
As I prayed over what today’s issue of The Point would be about, my eyes wandered to all of Greg’s mounts scattered about our home and the Holy Spirit brought to mind the verse from 2 Corinthians 11: 3 that says, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” It occurred to me that if any of the beautiful animals that we have mounted in our home could speak, they would all likely say, “I never meant to be here. I got complacent and let my guard down when I should have been more careful. Now, look at me. I’m dead, stuffed and just hanging here on this wall. How could I have been so stupid?”
Do those words sound familiar to you? “How could I have been so stupid?” “I never meant to be in this situation.” “I should have been more careful.” I know that I have certainly said them on more than one occasion and I bet you have as well. The good news is:
a) God has warned us about Satan’s deception in Ephesians 6:12 – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
b) God has equipped us to perceive and withstand Satan’s deception in 2 Peter 1: 3 – “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
So, my friend, where in your life is Satan trying to deceive you and make you into a defeated and useless Christian? You do not have to travel that path! If you are a Christian and travel that path, you have made the choice to do so. You have the ability and the power, by the blood of Jesus Christ, to make godly decisions that will bring you out of the situation in victory rather than defeat. If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, then only by doing so can you have the power to make godly choices.
I encourage you to meditate on the three verses that I have used today. Ask the Lord to show you potential areas of defeat. When He does, and He will, call on His power to enable you to overcome the lure of Satan in that area. You may have to pray hourly about whatever the situation is, sometimes even minute by minute, but as you do I promise that you will be able to withstand Satan’s deception and be victorious in the situation. Then you will not have to say, “I never meant to be here.”
WEEKLY MEDITATION VERSE: 2 Peter 1: 3 – “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
