I was walking loops around my front drive a few weeks ago when I kept hearing a strange noise coming from the apple trees. Lo and behold … it was a Northern Flicker woodpecker enjoying a nice juicy apple up in the top of the tree.
You can see it here … it is a grey bird with a broad band of black at the base of its neck. It is in the very center of the photo, sitting on top of the red apple, and looking upwards.
As an addendum:
I had just finished writing this blog post, and several hours later went out to walk my loops for exercise. Lo and behold, there was a Pileated Woodpecker in the apple tree enjoying an apple. How fortuitous! I decided to add it to this blog post too! Check out how he is completely horizontal, hanging on by the bottom of the apple. I wonder how he knows that that apple will support his weight and isn’t going to suddenly fall off the tree?
Wouldn’t it be nice if all animals were vegetarian. I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post about a video series hubby and I have been enjoying watching: Frozen Planet II. As I mentioned yesterday, the cinematography is absolutely stunning! However I must warn you … this video series is not for the faint of heart … you have to be ok with watching animals eat other animals.
In the frozen heights of a remote mountain chain, a pair of golden eagles have just had their baby chick. The chick is hungry and needs food … so the mom and dad golden eagle go hunting. The only available food that high up in the mountains is goats. And as it turns out, the goats have also just had their babies too.
A golden eagle does not stand a chance against a full-size mature goat. Such a goat could kill the eagle. But … a baby goat is the perfect prey.
Working together as a team, one of the golden eagles darts and swoops at the goats which are grazing on the rocky steep hillsides. This frightens and confuses the goats! Instinctively they begin to run! The darting and swooping continue … until, in the confusion, a baby goat or two becomes separated from the adult goats.
At this point, the second golden eagle waiting in reserve, dives in and snatches the vulnerable little baby goat up in its fierce talons. The eagle flies out over the steep ravine and drops the baby goat … where it falls hundreds of feet and is dashed to death upon the rocks below. The mom and dad eagle then bring dinner home to their baby chick awaiting in the nest.
The eagles don’t always dart and swoop to create confusion. Sometimes, they simply ride the wind currents high overhead, watching … and waiting. When they spot a young goat which has wandered off by itself … or which has wandered a little too close to the edge, in an instant the eagle swoops in … grabs the goat with its talons … and drags the goat off over the edge of the cliff! Dinner.
Satan is a hunter. Satan is prowling around like a ravenous animal hunter looking for someone to devour!
When you know that you are being “spiritually hunted” … it helps to understand the hunter.
Just like the many different animal hunters in the documentary series, Satan knows that it is much harder to bring down a spiritually strong mature person. Therefore, Satan is focused on getting our children! Our children are helpless and weak and vulnerable.
Satan is preying specifically on our children!
Those little ones in your life whom God has called you to love … pray for those little ones!! Spiritually cover those little ones in prayer! Invest in them! Pour love into them!
Just like the golden eagles, Satan will create confusion and chaos in our lives! Our instinct will be to panic! To bolt in fear! It’s in those times of chaos and confusion … that you must make an intentional effort to keep your children close (spiritually speaking)! Guard the hearts of your children! Protect the minds of your children!
Even as life is going crazy … and things are “falling apart” … don’t lose sight of your children’s needs. Take the time (in the middle of the chaos!) to nurture your children through the chaos. Pray with your children through their fears and uncertainty.
As your children begin to grow up and start gaining some independence … keep an eye on them! Don’t let them stray “too close to the edge” … don’t let them “hang out around the edge” when it comes to things which will destroy them spiritually.
If you aren’t paying attention, Satan will swoop in and carry them off!
It’s hard as our children grow up and begin gaining their own independence. It’s hard to “stay in the know” about what all is going on in their lives.
A lesson from the hunter and the hunted: Pay attention!! Pay attention … make a concerted effort to stay connected to what is going on in their lives!
Satan is circling around … silent and stealthy … high overhead … watching and waiting …
You’re going to have to work hard to “stay in the know.” It’s going to take effort. You can’t just let your kids go and expect them to grow up into mature responsible adults on their own. Your kids need you to be there spiritually “watching out” for them as they gain independence.
Because Satan is circling … Satan is watching … Satan is waiting …
Another example of the hunter … and the hunted:
A super pack of wolves has joined together in the far northern reaches of Canada. They are ravenously hungry … and have tracked down a herd of bison.
Bison are far superior in size and strength to the wolves.
But the super-pack of wolves chase the bison … and chase them … and chase them. Relentlessly! Pursuing the bison … taking bites out of the back flanks of the bison!
Nevertheless, the bison stay together! They keep in a tight, close pack! And as the pursuing wolves jump up to take a bite out of the bison’s back flanks, the bison give strong fierce kicks with their hind legs! … into the face of the wolves!
This chase continues for hours! … and hours! … and hours …
The hunters are relentlessly patient. Until … eventually … the hunted becomes weary and spent.
The bison are depleted of strength. They are mentally and physically strained. They are exhausted. Nevertheless … they remain a unified tight pack.
It is at this point that the super-pack of wolves rally together, and as a combined group-force make a mad dash at the herd!
In their exhausted state, one or two of the bison panic and bolt away from the pack. The wolves have won!
In an instant the super-pack of wolves leave the herd, and all head after the one or two isolated bison, on their own now. Without the protection of the pack, the isolated bison are brought down! And devoured!
A lesson of the hunter and the hunted: We need each other! We cannot do life all on our own!
Satan is a ravenous wolf! And Satan is looking for an isolated person.
Just like the super-pack of wolves … Satan and his “super-pack” of demons relentlessly pursue us! Just like the wolves, they have endless patience as they harass us! … taking “bites” out of us, as we try to go about our daily lives. They are never-tiring … patiently, continually wearing us down!
Until … eventually, we wind up weary. Depleted! Worn! Spent!
We need each other! We cannot do life all on our own! We cannot be isolated by ourselves!
Without the strength of the pack, (aka: community together with others) we will be vulnerable to Satan. And Satan and his “super-pack” of demons will easily bring us down!
We need fellowship … with safe people … in a safe environment.
We need each other! We need community!
We can’t do life all by ourselves.
And … we must control our 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 5:8-9
