Hunting Lions?

I recently received some pictures from a friend whose Dad and Brother went on an African Safari. As you can see they were very successful and are bringing home some rather big trophies. Seeing these pictures got me to thinking about 1 Peter 5:8:

“Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.” Amplified

I remember when my daughter’s Girl Scout troop spent a night camping in the zoo. We set up tents in a field near the middle of the zoo. We enjoyed an early evening tour, snack and program. Then it was into our tents and sleeping bags for the night. A short time later we all heard the unmistakable sound of roaring of lions. It was LOUD and it sounded very close. Fortunately, I was very aware of the iron bars the lions lived behind. Without them it was only a thin piece of tarp that separated my daughter and I from those lions.

How different, in some ways, our culture is today from that in which Peter lived 2000 years ago. Here in Kansas we have our lions on display in cages. Lying in the sun and looking like giant kitty cats we rarely see a lion show much aggression. Peter certainly knew another side of lions, where they lived in the wild. Because he was compelled to compare our enemy, the devil, to a roaring lion, I wanted to know more about the lion Peter knew and how it operates!

First I learned about the lion's hunting technique:

It stalks its prey using as much cover as possible and then runs it down with a short rapid rush. In fact, lions have little stamina and will get quite close to the prey before charging. One source says that a lions final charge is made from as close as 10 meters.

How much more would we guard and protect ourselves if we realized how close our adversary is?

Ephesians 6:11 tells us to “put on the full armor of God and take a stand against the devil’s schemes.” If we could sense the devil’s presence we would NEVER be caught without our armor firmly in place. More often we think of him as “out there” and not “right here.”

I also found it relevant that a lions tongue is so rough it can draw blood just by licking you. All the more reason to heed James’ advice, “submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Most of the lion’s hunting takes place under the poor lighting conditions of early evening, at dawn or during the night. The lion is at a disadvantage when its prey is able to see clearly. We must remember that God is our light and our safety is dependant on Him. Psalm 119:105 states: “thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” If we venture from that path we are vulnerable to attack. John 11:10 warns us “it is when we walk by night that we stumble, for we have no light.”

Another hunting tactic for the lion is to lie in wait for its prey to come and drink from the water hole during the dry season.

Perhaps nothing is more disturbing than seeing the devil’s destruction in the spiritual lives of believers and/or the church. The book of Matthew is full of Jesus’ warnings to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, whom He calls hypocrites. Matthew 23:13 is especially sobering; “you shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Matthew 15:8 speaks of those who “honor Him with their lips but their hearts are far from Him.” What better victory for Satan than one within the body of Christ?

And then I learned about the lion's prey:

It is commonly believed that lions attack weak, sick, wounded or old. The fact of the matter is, they will attack and eat whatever is closest to them. Sex, age and condition are not a factor in a lions hunt and they are not a factor in the enemy’s pursuit.

One article I found says that lions are “always ready to eat whatever type of meat they find.” They will even take over, or steal, kills made by other carnivores.

The devil hunts us when we are on the mountaintop or in the valley, when we are celebrating and when we are broken by our circumstances. Whether we are old, young, rich, poor, male or female, we have an equal opportunity enemy and he is hungry for our destruction.

Of course, if we are covered by the blood of Christ he can’t take our salvation, but he can reduce us to walking bones instead of a joyful, and fruitful, heart and soul. Jesus clearly tells us this in John 10:10 when he says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

On the other hand, lions rarely eat an entire kill. They take what they want and leave the rest for hyenas and vultures to finish. Our enemy, also, leaves behind a wake of wounded, broken and lifeless people for the world to swallow up once he has had his fill.

Just as Adam and Eve were left alone and ashamed in the garden after Satan had convinced them to eat of the forbidden fruit, in our world today we don’t have to look far to see examples of people enticed into sin and the consequences they are forced to bear. Business scandals, Politicians, TV Evangelists are just a few public examples. However Satan is just as busy in the everyday world, leaving people’s lives devastated.

So how do we protect and defend ourselves against this beast? We can fight him with the strength of our own lion, the Lion of Judah. Jesus has said, “in this world you will have trouble but take heart, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.