Day 168 of The Red Shoe Project has me in my RED, open-toed, high heels, dashing about town, doing errands and thinking about something I saw while on my morning prayer walk.
It was a group of vultures. I counted eight of them. They were all standing around, hunch-backed, waiting their turn, to feast upon a dead carcass. Man those scavengers are big... not to mention, ugly!
Vultures are large birds of prey. They are hunters that usually attack and kill animals that are sick or injured. They feast on the decaying flesh of dead animals. These scavengers often gather in groups and wait, with anticipation, for a sick or injured animal (or person) to die... sometimes as a result of an attack by another, larger animal. When that animal has had its fill, the vultures move in and scrape up the remains.
1 Peter 5:8 says...
"Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary, the devil,
as a roaring lion, prowls about,
seeking whom he may devour."
For better understanding,
I decided to break
this scripture down
into manageable pieces:
Be sober -- clear minded, serious and ready to take action!
Don't be intoxicated, partied out, or off your guard.
Be vigilant -- Keep careful watch for possible danger or difficulty!
Be fully aware of what's going on around you -- in the natural and in the spiritual realm.
because -- indicates there's a reason for all this, and it's this:
your adversary -- your enemy, opponent, challenger, the one who's against you. The one who wants to see you fail. He wants to take you down, disable you, take you captive and if possible, take you out! He wants you wasted and completely out of commission. He's the theif who wants to rob you, kill you and destroy everything that's important to you. (John 10:10)
the devil -- Satan and/or his demons, evil spirits
as a roaring lion -- likens himself to the king of beasts, imitating his loud ferocious roar, merely pretending that he has claim to you and power over you. Basically... he's faking it!
prowls about seeking -- roams the earth, walking around in search of prey. He's hunting, looking here, there and everywhere, hoping to find a victim.
whom -- prey, a targeted victim, a weak individual, a sucker, a pushover;
Someone intoxicated, drugged, or who doesn't have their wits about them;
Someone who's not paying attention, worldly minded, foolish or lazy;
Someone who's blind to spiritual matters, focused on self, focused on money;
Someone who's hurt, abused, broken and vulnerable;
Someone having a pity party, who's down on himself and discouraged;
Someone who's guard is down, unarmed, uncovered, exposed and unprotected;
Someone who's disabled, crippled by life, down and out, unable to move;
Someone who's out of fellowship... with others and with God. Disconnected
and prayer-less, trapped in unbelief. They've lost their vision, forgotten
who they are in Christ, forgotten the power of His Word and how to use it;
Someone who's unforgiving and holding a grudge;
(Is this "someone" you? Is it me? Could it be the person you're sitting beside at church? Is it your spouse? Your best friend? One of your children?)
he may devour -- grab ahold of and tear apart, shred to pieces, victimize,
eat up, destroy, strip of everything, tear down, torment, torture, possess, oppress, depress, exploit, abuse, take advantage of, deceive, cheat, trick, make a mockery of, knock down, knock out, take captive of, take out, drag down, enslave, entangle, bind up, shackle, imprison, take control of,
put in a choke hold and leave for dead.
Need anymore be said? It's a fair warning: Be sober! Be vigilant!
Who would ever imagine that God could give such a living illustration,
while on a morning walk, in RED shoes?
Gail
