Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard: The schemes of the devil

"Put on the full armour of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil."

Ephesians 6:11 CSB

Have you ever considered the fox? It is a small, cunning carnivore who lives near people's dwellings or perhaps farms. It is a master of hunting small game and it often relies on trickery and this is why it is known as being sly. One of its victims is usually rabbits. It creeps into situations, slowly making its way towards its intended prey. When the rabbits realise there is a fox about, many of them scatter. However, there is usually one that remains because curiosity takes over. The fox uses a strange ritual that is known to many contrymen as 'Charming'. The fox all of a sudden will start chasing its own tail, leaping about as if it is mad. Little by little, the fox is getting closer to the rabbit, who is so interested in this that it doesn't realise the danger it is in until, it's too late and the fox pounces and races off with its prize. The fox has used its skill of distraction.

Now put this into the context of the devil and his schemings. Satan distracts us quite often by taking our minds off Jesus and onto fear. He'll convince us that something is wrong and encourage us to worry and fret about something. This may be our health, our jobs, family problems and a host of other things. He'll keep this up giving us sleepless nights so that we become snappy or edgy with the people we love. If we don't realise what is happening, he will force us into a corner so that we don't know if we're coming or going. Don't allow this! Recognise this for what it is. I agree, not everything is the devil's fault but if something distracts us from our walk with Jesus. You can be sure that he is about somewhere in it.

We need to wise up - all of us. No one is perfect and if we're not carefully focused on Jesus we can be easily distracted. We can be tempted to spend more money than we can afford. Those little plastic cards come in handy when we need something that we haven't the cash for. We can be tempted to drink more alcohol than we intended because we are having a great time out somewhere. We can then make a fool of ourself or get picked up for drinking and driving. We can be tempted to forget that we are in a relationship and fall to the flattery of the opposite sex. And there is so much more that can befall us when we slip to the schemings of the evil one.

Be in control, I'll say it again, be in control. It is so important because, if you're not, you can easily set yourself up for disaster. Just think, wherever you are, there is a fox-like situation around you. So be careful where you tread; be careful and wear your armour all the time and, be sure to walk in the Spirit.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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