I came across coyote tracks in the snow.
Immediately the verse popped into my mind: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” – 1 Peter 5:8
A lurking prowling coyote! Looking to devour.
Satan … a lurking prowling “porch pirate” thief … seeking to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10:10)
God, our good loving Father, has wonderful gifts for us! “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.” – James 1:17
God has good gifts of friendship/relationship for us. Beautiful gifts … especially for us.
But Satan, the prowling “porch pirate” gift thief comes to steal the good gift! Satan comes to kill the love and kindness in our heart. Satan comes to destroy the relationship. And in its place Satan offers a counterfeit gift … annoyance, frustration, unforgiveness, bitterness.
We pull the counterfeit out of the box. It looks good … after all, we’re the victim in the relationship. We deserve to be annoyed, frustrated, bitter. Ooooo … that bitterness feels good. We enjoy reveling in it.
God has good gifts of wonderful memories for us this Christmas! God has placed before us all kinds of new opportunities for us to build brand-new memories with those in our life right here right now. But Satan, the prowling “porch pirate” gift thief comes to steal away God’s good gift … and in its place offer a counterfeit gift.
We pull the counterfeit out of the box. It’s the key to the vault of memories from the past. It looks good … after all, those were such great memories in the past. Those memories make us feel warm and cozy. Oooooo … it feels so good to revel in those memories.
We settle down and get comfortable … living in the memories of the past. While stolen away are the brand-new opportunities to build new, wonderful memories with those God has placed in our life right here right now.
God has good gifts of joy and peace for us. They are sitting right there on the front porch … waiting at the door of our heart. But Satan, the prowling “porch pirate” gift thief comes to steal away our joy, and kill our peace! We open up the door of our heart and instead, bring in Satan’s counterfeits: anxiety, worry, fear.
God has a good gift of hope for us! But the lurking “coyote” comes to destroy our hope! The beautiful gift of hope which God has placed right there at the door of our heart is shredded by the “coyote” … shredded hope.
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a ‘lurking coyote’ looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” – 1 Peter 5:8
Resist him! Stand up to that lurking, prowling “coyote”!
Stand your ground! Stand firm in the faith!
This Christmas, be on your guard against Satan, the prowling “porch pirate” thief! Don’t let Satan steal away the good gifts God has especially for you! And don’t take Satan’s counterfeits.
Tracks in the snow … the coyote has been around! Are there “coyote” tracks around your place this Christmas?
