“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Matthew 4:10, NLT

Here in this beautiful spring season, I love to sit on our back porch and watch the House Finch that floods our back yard. Urgent to multiply, feathered couples flutter from tree to tree gathering choice morsels to pad the birthing room of their little ones. We’ve made friends with them every year and have enjoyed watching their brood hatch, grow, then learn to fly. That is until last year.

While sitting on the porch preparing a Daily Dose of Encouragement, I looked up at the nest that had been filled with babies, but only two eyes were staring back at me…eyeball to eyeball. They most definitely were not baby bird eyes, but beady, evil eyes. You guessed it…a dirty, rotten snake had slinked it’s way up the column from underneath the nest, and dined on those sweet innocent birds. Full and digesting it’s diner, it rested it’s chin on the outer edge of the nest, staring straight into mine.

I imagined it was thinking…”next?”

Yes, I was scared and my skin crawled. But, I was also livid! This was my porch…my turf, and what I considered, my birds! However, the enemy never cares about our turf. In fact, he makes it his mission to invade it and try to destroy it. Listen to what Jesus said in John 10:10:

¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Jesus spoke of the enemy that goes after our family just like that snake went after those baby birds. That enemy is powerful, yet many people don’t even recognize he exists, but he does.  Jesus encountered him face to face.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. ² For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

³ During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

⁴ But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, (emphasis mine)

‘People do not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, ⁶ and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ”

⁷ Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ”

⁸ Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

¹⁰ “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God
    and serve only him.’ ”

¹¹ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

My friend, the enemy doesn’t just pick on little bird families. Certainly, since he tried to destroy Jesus, he would seek to destroy us. However, Jesus showed us the secret to defeating the enemy. Three times the enemy tried to destroy Jesus by making him sin against His Father God. All three times Jesus defeated the enemy by quoting His Father’s Words.

It’s incredibly important for us to read, study and learn God’s Word, and store it deep in our heart. Then, when the enemy comes slinking up the foundation upon which we have built our family, we will not be taken by surprise. We will know how to fight! We will answer that enemy with what we have stored in our hearts…the Words of our Father and His promises of protection. We will see that enemy for what he is…a pathetic imposter set on our destruction, but who is easily overcome by the Words of our Father.

Until next time,

Your Traveling Partner,

Brenda