THE DEVIL PREYS TOO

Early one Saturday morning , after our usual morning devotion, my dad loves to watch the early morning news, because according to him, it's undiluted (Let's cut the old man some slack, but I honestly don't understand diluted and undiluted news). we immediately switched on the television to watch the news, but along the line as we searched for the news station, the person with the remote mistakenly or deliberately, tuned in to the famous NATGEO WILD (For those that don't know, this t.v station airs animal documentary).

 As soon as he tuned it to this station, I got glued to my position as my eyes was fixed on the t. v screen. I was intrigued at what I saw, let me cut to the chase, and tell you what I saw. I was watching the Lion (The acclaimed King of the jungle), hunt and kill preys. Mind you, it's not the fact that he was hunting and killing preys that caught my attention, it's the attitude to which he did that got me.

According to research, the Lion isn't the strongest animal, it isn't the fastest, neither isn't the biggest, but the respect it commands in the jungle is second to none. The first thing I noticed was the fact that the Lion hunt animals in isolation. It hids in a place where it blends so well to it surrounding , and waits patiently for the slowest or distracted prey.  Take for instance, a pack of antelopes are moving together, the lion would not attack them heads on, because that would spell doom for the lion, but it'll wait patiently for the last one (Unfortunately, the prey is usually the child of such animal, a tender growing child who has refused to walk side by side with the mother).

Another intriguing thing I discovered was the fact that the lion is never in an haste to attack, it strategically maps out his movement in a subtle manner that's it's nearly impossible for him to miss its target except by "divine intervention" by the other stronger members of the prey's family.

While I was wondering on how seemingly wise the lion is, the Holy Spirit whispered to me and said "Do you know that the devil attacks believers just this same way?" "Ahhhh" I screamed in surprise, and I moved swiftly to check things up in the scriptures because if there's anything I've learnt, it's that the spoken Word of God and the written Word of God never contradicts each other.

My search took me to 1Peter5:8 " Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for it's prey to devour". Immediately i saw this, I began to understand why you should never practice Christianity in isolation.

You see, the devil will never attack you in the midst of believers, he will never attack you while you're with the brethren, he will wait till you are isolated from the people of God before striking.

As much as the devil is interested in weak and isolated preys, God is interested in the unity and togetherness of his people. In Psalms68:6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land."  He (God),  sets up the lonely in family, he knows that the devil is interested in preying on the weak and hunting them down.

In John10:10, Jesus speaking to his disciples and is speaking to us said The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].  He not only advertised the works of the devil (Predator), but he also gave a soothing relief when he said that "He has come, to give us life and give us in full". But you'll have to be set in family to enjoy this blessing.

The devil wouldn't just jump on you like the actual lion does, no he won't.  He subtly does it too, introducing lifestyle and habits to you. He pollutes your mind with filthy thoughts and proceed to corrupt your actions and before you know, you're neck deep in something that began like an harmless thought.


In this period of lockdown, I beseech you never be isolated, join online service, listen to messages, be in the service in truth don't just do it for attendance sake. For Leaders,  be a true shepherd that watches over his flock. But more importantly, please watch and pray. Pray and pray and when you think you've prayed enough, pray again because the devil preys too. 
#Family #Localassembly #Trueshepherd #Neverisolated