Jaguars, Lions, and Other Big Scary Things
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COLUMN: Field Notes
Jaguars, Lions, and Other Big Scary Things
By Michael E. Brooks
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your
adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring
lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8).
Our team had been in Parimaribo, Suriname for only
a day or so when we saw the headlines in the
newspaper, "Jaguar escapes from local zoo." Since
Parimaribo is not a very large city, some of us
were understandably concerned about the
possibility of a confrontation with the animal.
When we mentioned this to local people, their
reaction was a casual dismissal. One said, "Don't
worry, it will turn up." In fact it did, inside a
house, making a meal of the family dog.
A few years ago I read an interview with a
prominent humanist. This agnostic was asked about
the possibility of life after death. The response
was another casual dismissal. "Let the future take
care of itself; if there is life after death we
will deal with it then."
Common to both these situations is the undeniable
fact that if one waits until the beast "turns up"
every advantage is given to the beast. Do you
really want to walk into a dark house where a
hungry jaguar is waiting? In the same way, if
Biblical teaching of eternity, judgment and
responsibility is true, then should we wait until
we verify that truth after death before we attempt
to prepare? We cannot; it will simply be too late.
I am reminded of Peter's description of Satan as a
roaming predator. He is real, he is "out there"
and he is looking for us. Peter's command is that
we be ever watchful and prepared. Don't be taken
by surprise. What pertinent and appropriate
advice. No human is equipped to take on a lion
unprepared or unarmed. We need all the warning we
can get. In our confrontations with the "powers of
darkness" we are even more overmatched. We must be
prepared, and we must have help. The New Testament
is filled with exhortations and instructions
designed to help us survive such encounters. Some
representative verses are:
"Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good" (Rom.
12:9b).
"Abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thes. 5:22).
"Pray that you may not enter into temptation" (Lk.
22:40).
"But flee from these things, you man of God, and
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
perseverance and gentleness" (1 Tim. 5:11).
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if
there is any excellence and if anything worthy of
praise, dwell on these things. The things you have
learned and received and heard and seen in me,
practice these things, and the God of peace will
be with you" (Phil. 4:8-9).
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the
Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due
time we will reap if we do not grow weary"
(Galatians 6:9).
Preparation to confront Satan is of two kinds.
First there is the defensive watch. Don't let him
surprise you. Be aware and alert at all times.
When he appears, run! Avoid danger, flee from
danger, watch for danger. These are sensible and
necessary precautions. But they are not all of our
preparation.
The second kind of preparation is offensive in
nature. It consists of learning and doing God's
will and of being continuously busy in good works.
In sports there is a truism, "the best defense is
a good offense." In Cricket, as long as your team
is batting, the other team cannot score. Similarly
in soccer, if your team is controlling the ball on
the opponent's end of the field, they cannot put
it in your net. So it is in spiritual matters.
Idleness gives Satan great advantage. No victim is
easier to attack that one which is asleep.
However, when we are actively involved in doing
God's will and in maintaining close relations with
him, Satan has no opportunity to harm us. Danger
is real, but we can survive and triumph if we
remain alert and if we remain in service to
Almighty God.
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