DEVOTION: The Unexpected Enemy ~ by Marcia Lee Laycock

A friend of mine joined the air force just after graduating from high school, many years ago. He trained as a radio technician, but was also trained as part of the base’s defense force. That meant that during the periodic ‘war games,’ meant to teach the men how to defend the base effectively, his assignment was to guard the end of the runway in the event of an "enemy" or "terrorist" attack. He was a solo guard, with only the standard issue rifle with which to do the job. He was usually ‘killed’ very early in the exercise.

My friend admits that his guarding of the runway was highly ineffectual. “Had there been real invaders or terrorists,” he said, “I would have done my best, but one person with a rifle, standing out in the open probably wouldn't have stood a chance.”

When I heard my friend’s story, I immediately thought, “Daah, what were they thinking?” But then I realized that the games those soldiers played back in that era were just that. They were games with no expectation of a real attack. There had been no 9/11 yet. An attack on North American soil wasn’t even a consideration at that time. When you don’t really expect an enemy to attack, you don’t bother taking the precautions that might be necessary.

Too often we forget about the enemy that is out to destroy our souls. We don’t expect him to attack. Perhaps we feel secure in our good works – we go to church now and then, we try to treat everyone well, we give to charities; we might even read our Bibles occasionally. We are like my friend, alone on that airstrip with a very small weapon and, like my friend, we will be defeated before the ‘game’ has hardly begun.

The Bible says that our enemy “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith...” (1Peter 5:8-9).

How do we resist an enemy set on our destruction?

First, believe that he will attack, then arm ourselves with the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His Word, the knowledge of His promises that will never be broken.

Know God in a personal way, as friend, protector and The Almighty.

Memorize scripture. The words of God are like atomic bombs to the enemy. He runs for cover when the Word is spoken.

Obey His word. The enemy can’t roar loud enough to make a difference when we are responding to God’s voice.

And never stand alone. If we stay within the Body of Christ, the lion can only roar in frustration, from the outside.

In the spiritual battles of life, there is far more at stake than the defense of a military base; far more than the defense of an entire nation. The battle is for our very souls, which are eternal. With stakes that high, we must expect the attack and always be prepared. 

Marcia Lee Laycock lives and writes in Central Alberta, Canada where she lives with her husband and two golden retrievers. Her work has appeared in print in both Canada and the U.S. and in many places on the world wide web. Visit her website to learn more about her writing and speaking ministry.

Marcia is the author of One Smooth Stone and A Tumbled Stone, and the devotional Spur of the Moment - available at Christian bookstores or from Amazon. Or order by emailing directly. Contact Marcia via her website to sign up to receive her weekly devotional, The Spur. 

Download Abundant Rain, a devotional for writers of faith at Smashwords.