Animals
I am sure most of us have had a cat sometime in our life, especially if you live in the country. We want them around to get rid of those unwanted creatures called mice. Mice are so dirty and germ-filled. And I don’t want them around, especially in my house.
I don’t know about you but I struggle with the fact that they also want to have birds. We have had a bird feeder over the years and I love to watch the birds eat. It is also enjoyable to have your window open and hear their wonderful songs. When I see the cat stalking a bird I try to get their attention on something else.
It seems they have such an attraction for birds because they are more visible and moving around more, especially this time of the year as they are building their nests. The eye of the cat catches the movement and they are excited to have a bird. They are going to stop that bird from having a life of abundance. And if the bird is not diligent about watching his back he will be taken down.
Then the thought came
How can I think of this spiritually? God can reveal to us amazing things through His nature. I am so grateful for nature. It is like a book and can be read. Just like God can help us understand His Word, the Bible, He can also help us understand His Word, as spoken through nature.
I don’t know about your cats but ours seem to enjoy the birds more than the mice. I think it is because the birds are more active and visible so it catches their eye. As I was thinking about it I was thinking that birds could represent those that are striving to follow the Lord and the mice could represent those that do not know the Lord. And of course, the cat would represent Satan and his evil angels.
Feeling attacked
Do you ever feel like your life is being attacked? I mean you look around and see people that don’t seem to be following the Lord and their lives seem not so difficult. At times this can seem frustrating. We can even start to get discouraged and there are many that end up giving up on God because of it.
Let’s get something really clear here. We can’t always see from the outside what is really going on in a person’s life. They may look like they have everything and they have the world by the tail but they can be miserable. How many times have you heard about someone who committed suicide and you were shocked because you thought they had it all together? Looks can be so deceiving.
I believe everyone goes through struggles. But it is true that if someone does not truly know the Lord the devil doesn’t spend as much time on him or her. He feels he already has them in his grasp so he puts his focus on those that are striving to follow the Lord and those that are on the fence.
More visible
It seems that, just like the birds, if you know the Lord and have a connection with Him and you are more active in serving the Lord, you are more visible to the devil. But we need to think about the fact that we are also more visible to those around us. There should be something different about us that will attract people’s attention. I mean how often are we attracted to the beauty of a bird versus looking at a mouse?
The beauty of a true Christ-like person attracts the attention of those around them because they feel a love that they have never experienced before. But the devil also notices. He doesn’t want us to attract people to the love of Christ. So he gets in and tries to disrupt the followers of Christ in many ways. He may get us so busy we do not have time to spend with God each morning so that we have that connection to help us through the day. The devil sends things to try to trip us up so that we are not the witness we should be to those around us.
There is another thing that he does also, he tries to discourage us and even make us look at God as unfair and unloving. He wants to do anything he can to get us to take our eyes off of our Lord and the love that He has for us so that he can pounce upon us and destroy us.
Others
Just like the mice are not left alone by the cats the devil doesn’t leave those who don’t know the Lord alone. He still brings trouble into their lives to try and destroy them as well. The devil doesn’t want them to notice that there is a better life. Many are miserable and discouraged and don’t know where to turn. They may even feel alone and that no one cares.
It doesn’t matter what a person’s status is in this world they can have a life that is so miserable and unhappy that they want it to end. And without the knowledge that someone loves and cares about you, it would seem hopeless. There are so many that are feeling this way, even more, today than normal.
Hope
There is hope for all. There is hope for those that know God and are discouraged or angry with Him. And there is also hope for those who do not know our loving Savior. God is there to comfort and strengthen us.
What do we need to do? The one thing that we have to do is trust God. This can be difficult to do! I still struggle with this concept at times. This can be very difficult for someone who has never had anyone in their lives that loved them or they could trust. How can a person understand the love of God? It can be difficult.
I come from the perspective that the Bible is the Word of God. I believe His Word has come from Him and that, “…Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” 2Peter 1:21. And then they wrote it down for us to be able to read and study.
There are so many stories that show us how much God loves us. And the most amazing of those stories is the story of Jesus. God loved us so much “…that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” John 3:16, 17. What amazing love!!
The best place to start is in the gospels. Here is where we can learn more about the love of God and His Son, Jesus. And we can also learn what kind of life we should live. It is a life of love. We should be showing to others the same type of love that Christ shows to us. But we can only do this as we allow Him to work through us.
We need to realize that no matter what the devil has to throw at us we still belong to Jesus and He will make “…All things work together for good to them that love God…” Romans 8:28. This is a great promise to cling to when we are going through rough times, realizing that when we come out the other side we are as gold tried in the fire. “…When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” Job 23:10.
Dear Father,
Help me to be grateful for the trials. I do want to thank You for the promises that you give me to cling to during the time of trial. Thank You that You love me so much that You continue to allow things that refine my character even though I may not like it. Help me to realize that as I become more active in Your service that the devil wants to bat me down but that You are there to defend and fight for me.
Thank You for loving everyone no matter where they are in their Christian walk or even if they don’t know you yet. And I am also grateful that You even continue to love those that have rebelled against You and that You continue to woo their heart to You.
Thank You for all You do for me and continue to direct my path.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Cling to Jesus today no matter what the devil is doing to try and bat you out of the air. When you know the Lord you are His and He will fight for you as you lean on Him so that you can keep flying and singing the beautiful song of salvation.
If you haven’t met Jesus feel free to reach out to me and I will help you learn about Him.
Love you all.
As a Christian, have you ever felt like the devil is trying to bat you down? What did you do about it and what was the outcome?
Share below we would love to hear your story.