After dropping my granddaughter off at daycare, I stopped at a nearby park to enjoy the beauty of nature and refresh my soul in the crisp morning air.  Surrounded by the glories of the natural world—trees, a crisp green in the morning light, small lakes, wet lands, birds singing, turtles swimming, fish surfacing for insect snacks—my heart was filled with rejoicing, accompanied by the music of nature.

Shortly after I started down the path, I saw the sign that greets me every time I walk that way—Be Aware!  There are rattlesnakes living in this park!  Fear grips my heart for a moment until I realize that there is no danger if I am aware of my surroundings and stay on the marked footpaths.

As I reflected on the hidden danger, I could not help but think how analogous this is to life—there is beauty all around us (as well as carelessly discarded trash), and yet there is hidden danger.

Satan first manifested himself to the human race in the form of a serpent, disguising himself as a thing of beauty while undermining Adam and Eve’s faith in their Creator.  The New Testament portrays him as a roaring lion who walks about “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), and we are instructed to “be vigilant”!

Just as the enemy sought to undermine the first couple’s faith in God and question His wisdom, he seeks to do the same thing today.  We become vulnerable when we do not hold onto God in faith; for it is by faith that satan is defeated—“this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith” (1 John 5:4). 

I know that we are in a very tender place when we encounter difficulties and situations that challenge our faith; however, we have our Savior’s assurance that, “in the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  …and the overcoming Christ dwells in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Besides our faith, the enemy also attacks our identity—how much more like God can we be when we are created in the image of God?  However, a tactic of satan is to create discontent in who we are and what we have.  …desiring to be something we are not, wanting to know things beyond our capacity to understand, and coveting things that are out of reach—when enough is never quite enough!

Our identity is in Jesus Christ—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  We are overcomers because “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).  We are God’s children, for “the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16, 17).  (I would not want to suffer without Christ!)

I do not believe our most dangerous times in regards to faith are when the storms rage and difficulties threaten to overwhelm us.  No—the most perilous times are when we are having Garden of Eden moments.  We are financially stable, our family is getting along pretty well, the kids are healthy, we are electronically satiated, the pastor isn’t over-challenging us spiritually, our homes are comfortable, and our cars are late models—we are in a safe place with no apparent difficulty or need, and at those times we are prime targets for the subtlety of satan.  He bites with his poisonous fangs in ways that shake our faith, challenging our identity and relationship to God. 

It is at those times when we need a firm foundation in the Word of God.  I’m not sure, but I think I have heard every reason or excuse for not believing the Bible and its inerrancy, infallibility, and relevancy to our lives.  I’m not here to continue that debate, I am just telling you that I believe it—being released from having to determine which parts are true, which parts are cultural, and which parts are relevant opens up my heart to a more complete picture of God.  I do not have to question the good news and the precious promises recorded there because I believe it all, so I don’t have to be concerned about hoping in something that is too good to be true.

Jesus is the Rock of our salvation, the chief Cornerstone of our faith.  It is in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).  He also gave us the Holy Scriptures to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus—Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:15, 16).  What an amazing blessing!  I can understand why demonic forces seek to undermine the Bible!

Let me encourage you today to BE AWARE! …to BE INFORMED—stay on the foot paths marked out by the Word of God; …and BE FILLED with the Holy Spirit—walk by faith, confident that He will complete the good work He began in you.