You Are The Hunted

I viewed several videos on YouTube this past week in an effort to learn more about hawks, specifically, the "COOPERS HAWK." These particular hawks frequent my neighborhood park looking for "lunch" and in the process wreak havoc on the green heron whom I love to photograph. As I was scrolling through different videos, one video led to another, then another, until I found myself learning about trained falcons. There used to be an ancient sport of falconry where trained hawks or falcons were used in the pursuit of wild game. When the “educated predator” was allowed to fly, it often rose too high for human eyes to see. So a hunter would carry a small caged bird called a shrike. By watching the antics of the little bird, the man could always tell where his hawk was, for the shrike instinctively feared the predator and cocked its head to keep it in view.

I was thinking that as Christians we desperately need an alert perception similar to that of the shrike to detect our spiritual enemy whom we cannot see; Satan. Our adversary, “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). YOU are the hunted. According to the apostle Paul, we are to be sober-minded and vigilant (1 Corinthians 15:34; 1 Peter 4:7) because we are the hunted. In other words, we are to always be on the alert at all times. Jesus also used the word, "watch." There is a wide range of implications of that word and our survival and salvation could depend on that understanding and action. When the New Testament commands us to “watch,” it is usually the translation of one of two Greek words I found in my concordance, gregoreuo and agrupneo, which have similar meanings—to “stay awake” and to “be sleepless.” They are usually meant in the metaphorical and spiritual sense—to be vigilant and on guard, fully awake, aware, alert and intently focused—again, with several applications and implications. In Matthew 26: 37-40 the meaning of “watch” is primarily physical. Jesus was reprimanding the disciples for not remaining awake during the hour preceding His arrest. But what Jesus said to Peter next had a deeper, spiritual meaning: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing (intentions are good) but the flesh (mere human willpower) is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Simply, without "watching" and remaining "alert" Satan's schemes will cause you to give in to all sorts of temptations.


It is "spiritual watching" along with prayer that gives us the strength to survive temptations and not to give in to sin. “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin” states 1 Corinthians 15:34. Being awake is equated with righteousness and not sinning. Paul was writing to the church at Corinth, which shows that even true Christians can be spiritually asleep to varying degrees and today, many are. This is why I address my blogs mostly to Christians. Paul also wrote: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). In other words, the closer we draw to the second coming of Christ, the more urgent it is that we awake out of spiritual sleep! We have entered the fearful end-time years that are the grand climax of human civilization. If ever there was a time to pay attention and get prepared, it is now! Furthermore, none of us knows when he or she will die as I wrote in my previous blog. Being spiritually prepared for the end of life should be our top priority. God gave us marvelous minds to use —to study, learn, observe, analyze, judge and think. Many people are mentally lazy—wasting a tragic amount of time on the trivial and temporal, mundane and materialistic. Many squander countless hours vegetating in front of their TV or computer seeking only to be entertained. Committed readers are becoming rare. You see, God wants His people to zealously read and study, to think and meditate. He wants us to be well-informed regarding the major geopolitical, cultural and spiritual issues and events of our time. God deplores ignorance, indifference and being “dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11).


This is where the Bible is so essential. It provides an essential framework for a godly world view. The Bible is God’s divine revelation of absolute truth, which is just as relevant today as it ever was. Because of this, the Bible should be the prism, lens, and filter by which we can accurately perceive and judge all other information. It enables us to develop a godly world view—the framework and foundation by which we can accurately interpret all that is going on in the world including Satan's schemes. We can then understand our confusing world scene with amazing clarity, sense, and logic! God reveals His plan when we are interested in and dedicate ourselves to knowing Him. We are not only waiting and watching for the Lord's return, but we are also alert and wise to Satan who wants nothing more than to devour our souls before the return of Christ. Make no mistake, Satan is powerful, vicious, and deceptive. How can we win our battle against such a daunting enemy? God has not left us defenseless. His Word educates us about Satan’s methods, and “we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). When we understand Satan’s tactics, we are better able to keep our senses and remain watchful.


Wouldn't it be nice if God had a personal shrike for each of us to warn us of an attack by Satan? But He doesn’t operate that way. Instead, we must “examine” the Bible daily (Acts 17:11), meditate on its truths (Psalm 1:2), and maintain a prayerful attitude throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Does that seem too much to ask? Are you not interested? Are you too lazy to pick up your Bible? Only when we commit to these things will we be sensitive to an imminent assault by the devil and be armed by grace to meet it (Ephesians 6:10-18). As I close, keep in mind that Satan roams through the earth, "going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it" (Job 1:7). So the Bible testifies Satan is real (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10; Revelation 12:9), he is a predator (John 10:10), and his target is you (1 Peter 5:8). Your only weapon against him is the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
Until next time,
-Pat-