We recently enjoyed a beautiful fall day playing Putt-Putt Golf. Barb won the first round a couple of weeks back. I won this round. We have one more round awaiting us in the future for the play-off. Then we will determine who is the grand champion—until the next three rounds. We had a man and his son playing behind us. The boy was about ten years old. We would make our shots then watch their shots. It was fun seeing the “skill level” of each person. While waiting on our next move forward to the next hole, I noticed a little green lizard crawling up a fence rail. Barb and I brought the young boy’s attention to it. I calmly said, “I will catch it.” Barb, the boy and his father watched, perhaps with a little skepticism, as to my ability to catch the lizard. But they all stood there and watched as I wiggled my right-hand fingers a little distance in front of the little green reptile. I knew I had his attention focused on my wiggling fingers, so I brought my left hand from a distance around to his back side and quickly and gently pinned him against the fence rail. I think our new friends marveled a little bit at the adroit move that captured fella. The dad verbally re-played the move, taking note on exactly how I did it. I just said, “I’ve had lots of experience,” which I have. As a kid in the country, I learned how to do this and have caught countless little critters. When you get their attention on what is in front of them, you can make your move. King David got his attention on Bathsheba, and wham! He was caught in sin and murder. He paid dearly for allowing himself to be distracted from his mission. That is the operation of our flesh man, and it is the operation of the enemy of our soul. The devil does not want us to have a successful life in the Lord. Flesh is easily distracted and the devil is cunning and persistent. He will make sure something is set before us and our weakness that he can use to get our attention so he can ensnare us. That is not hocus-pocus; that is just a fact of life. This is why we as believers must be filled with the Spirit and wisdom of God. We must be wise to how our flesh operates, and we must be wise to how there are spiritual entities who work against God’s work in our life. Jesus paid the price to take our sins away and fill us with His Spirit and wisdom. In this way we have power over our flesh and over the devil. We don’t have to be distracted and ensnared by the lusts of the flesh and the devices of the devil. The good news of Jesus includes the power of God to live a successful life in the Lord.
To Catch a Lizard
Published by
