Meeting Monsters in the Dark

Chupacabre, Nessy, Big Foot, Choccoloco Varmint, and the Fouke Monster are just a few of the many “monsters” we often see on TV or in written form. These fanciful entities tingle our appetites for the unknown and mysterious (as long as we’re curled up safely in our den). A real encounter with such a thing would not be something we would relish.

While I doubt you will have a “run-in” with Sasquatch, we can be certain of a very real monster that awaits all of us in our day to day life.

We are told in John 10:10a that “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Satan goes about as a “roaring lion” seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8) and mankind is on his menu. His desire is to steal the joy of our salvation, to kill us eternally, and to completely destroy our life’s value. With years of studying the human soul and countless opportunities to practice, he is a monster of the most dangerous kind. That is, dangerous for those who are not protected!

I am certain few of us would venture into the forest or jungle without the proper equipment, knowledge, and skill, yet so many of us venture into the daily walk of life ill prepared to meet this diabolical monster. The results of an encounter with this ferocious beast, absent protection, are painful, horrid, and potentially long-lasting. The one who is prepared and protected however can rest assured they will emerge stronger and victorious.

We read “⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:7-8 NKJV).” This is not an “option” if we desire protection from satan.

If we desire the victory in an encounter with the devil there are some things we need to “pack along”:

· We must belong to JESUS CHRIST (have a personal relationship with HIM).

· Submit to GOD. (Surrender is a daily matter.)

· Resist the devil. (Don’t give him your thoughts, time, or energy.)

· What are you dining on? (Spend time in GOD’s Word.)

· Look around. (What are you feeding your mind? Trash in – trash out)

· Strength in numbers. (Christian friends to pray with and for you, accountability)

With these simple practices we need never fear satan as one of the “things that go bump in the night”!