"But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of
night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his
house be broken into." (Matt 24:43 "NIV)
Oh no! A duck landed on their property. The enemy was in sight!
Three Asian Short Clawed Otters lumbered to the pond, intent on protecting their
piece of real estate from their enemy. As they jumped into the water, they
coordinated their attack against the intruder. Victory! The duck flew away!
All over the world, animals know their enemies. Animals understand the dangers
of letting their foes have a stronghold in their territory. Always on guard,
their number one priority is to assure their safety.
It's sad that we, as human beings, are not as diligent as our animal neighbours.
We live on, completely unaware of the snares that the enemy of our souls has set
up for us in the heart of our territory. As a result, we are utterly surprised
at how quickly we became ensnared to the addictions we now desperately try to
shake off.
Where did these come from? If I had only known!
The sad truth is that all of us, at some time or another, have let our guard
down, and the enemy has overtaken us, conquered our minds, and made us believe
that we are worthless and doomed: "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."
(Prov 23:7 NKJV)
It's time to put a stop in the devil's tactics and claim our souls back from his
hands. He is only a thief, and a defeated one at that! He has no power over us!
"The thief (the evil one) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus)
have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV)
We can regain our minds, but only if we stop believing the lies from the evil
one and start putting our faith in the truth of our deliverer: Jesus the Christ!
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary,
they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every
pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive
every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor 10:4-5 NIV)
Once free, we must take measures to remain that way. In order to avoid being
reclaimed by the evil one, we also need to rid ourselves of anything connecting
us with our enemy. The otters did so, and so can we! Anything that has had a
hold on us to commit any unrighteousness, no matter how small it may have been,
needs to be disposed of.
The Ephesians knew about this. "A number who had practiced sorcery brought their
scrolls together and burned them publicly." (Acts 19:19 NIV) Unless we want to
fall continuously in and out of our vicious circle of sin, I encourage you to
follow the example of the Ephesians! Get rid of anything that has a hold on you.
Let us make the evil one flee from us in the power of our Lord!
"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him
scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in
sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your
eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on
your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet." (James
4:7-10 The Message)
These otters sure felt proud of themselves when they saw their enemy fly away!
Peace had returned to their little kingdom.
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.