by Sandy Kirby Quandt

Well, our resident opossum is back and Bear is not happy. I don’t know where Mr. Possum goes between visits, but Bear believes it is his responsibility to send the intruder away.

It’s bad enough for our poor dog the cat across the street spends his evenings curled up  on the chair on our front porch, but the backyard is Bear Territory. No varmints allowed.

Bear takes this intrusion into his yard seriously. He wakes up at 2:30 am many mornings to sniff out violators of his space and secure the perimeter.

I have no idea why Bear believes 2 am is the prime time for possum chasing, (and skunk investigating) but I know Pilot wishes he’d make his rounds in the daylight hours.

As I ponder Bear’s vigilance, I wonder how well we stay on guard against those things that go bump in our nights.

No, I’m not talking about bats again. I’m talking about those spiritual attacks that can come out of nowhere and catch us snoozing with our defenses down. Things that by themselves might seem innocent, things we can rationalize away, but if allowed to become a habit, can turn unhealthy.

The following is in no way exhaustive, and I’m sure you can add to the list, but I’ll just mention a few.

• We eat lunch with a co-worker of the opposite sex more often than we should. They understand when our spouse doesn’t after all, so what’s the harm in that?
• We watch shows and movies we know don’t line up with God’s word. How else can we know what our friends are discussing?
• We read books and magazines that would make our grandmother blush. We need to stay current with the trends, right?
• We lose our temper, become angry, and spew harmful words that we can’t take back. Can we help it if we have a short fuse?
• We decide it won’t hurt to skip church today, or next week, or the week after that. I can worship God anywhere, right?

In 1 Peter we’re told to be watchful because the devil prowls like a lion looking for someone to devour. After Paul tells us to put on the armor of God so we can stand against Satan in Ephesians 6, he tells us to remember to pray at all times.

Just as Bear is vigilant to protect our perimeters from intruders, we need to be watchful against spiritual intruders that threaten to undo us. The Bible tells us how. All we need to do is follow it.

Leave your comments below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

 Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.  Ephesians 6:18 (TLB)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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